************************************

Adrian had a tight grip on my waist for the entire time till our ride back to my home. He was acting as if the moment I left his lap, another man - my supposed PureBlood mate - would snatch me away from the poor little Werewolf King.

"Adrian, please..." I gritted out, "This is ridiculous! I'm getting uncomfortable."

"Just one more minute." He grumbled, and buried his nose back into my hair. I really didn't know that such big, bad alphas could get so pouty and grumpy - that too, like a little puppy - when their pride was endangered by their mate.

And also, The Alpha Prime and The Beta King did not pay attention to the harassment I was facing in the backseat of the car. Liana, on the other hand, still acted like she was drunk out of her mind and decided that now was the right time to recite her century's worth of research work.

"You know what, Moon? PureBloods had human mates, too, just like Werewolves do. And there is a sea full of humans for you to swim in and catch! Who knows, maybe you will really find your mate! After all, Cynthia wouldn't want to be alone and let Celeste have all the fun?"

"Now, who the fuck is Cynthia?" Adrian grumbled.

I rolled my eyes when Liana gasped loudly. Why become furious at people when your friend can do just that for you?

"Oh My Goddess!" Liana cupped her face and widened her eyes dramatically, "You don't know!? You don't know a thing about your own fucking mate?!" All of a sudden, Liana grabbed my hand and violently yanked me off Adrian's lap so that I went straight into hers.

Well, at least there was no big bulge here to make me squirm and think of all things dirty.

"Oh my poor, poor baby," Liana cooed and brought my head down to her chest, stroking my hair, "See, he doesn't even know that your wolf and your PureBlood have different names - Celeste and Cynthia. Now, that's it! You shouldn't stay with this Big Meanie anymore," she gave Adrian a stink eye, "We are going to find another mate for you asap so that he can stop calling you 'Mine' and can go back to Her Highness, Queen Delia."

I could see Jaxon rubbing his head and Adrian holding in his fury. The veins popping in his neck and forehead were enough for me to know that Liana needed to shut up or I was going to be dragged back into the Were Kingdom to be shackled to the King's bed.

"...I had read somewhere that when a she-wolf mates with a human, she immediately gains the ability to have a lot of babies, but only one of them has a dominant wolf gene! Can you imagine that Moon? Not one, but many babies! I think I should think about -"

"-Liana?" I interrupted.

"You liked my idea?" She asked me with big, bright excited eyes.

"You want to go back home?"

"Your? Yes." She chirped.

"Then keep that mouth shut for a while."

It was after Liana had shut up that I realised that perhaps her chattering was better than the mind-numbing silence. There was probably every dark emotion mixed in that silence - tension, fury, grief, desperation, lust, bloodlust, possessiveness were only a few of them.

"Turn up the radio, please." Liana whined, "You guys are so boring, it's suffocating."

Jaxon did just that for her, and it was like everyone in the car was thankful that they didn't have to face the awkward silence that seemed to permeate the air. Even though I didn't want to, I stole a glance towards Adrian who was staring at me, and I could feel the brooding vibes from right where I was sitting on Liana's lap.

And then there was a swirl of something that I felt in my chest. Adrian was still holding my gaze with some sort of a vengeance, and the deep pit inside me darkened. When I could feel each one of the emotions that was swirling inside me, I realised that Adrian was making me feel how he was feeling.

Well, two could play the same game.

I glared right back at him, and this time, I was the one projecting my emotions to him. I hid nothing - the insecurity, desperation, dejection, confusion, lust, anger and everything else.

He was taken aback by the sudden access he now had to my emotions - I was glad that I didn't have to cross the MoonLine to let him know how I was feeling. And now, another emotion made those swirling emotions suffocating.

It was guilt.

"We are here."

That was all Theo had to say and Liana and I managed to jump out of the still moving car even when I was sitting on her lap. It hadn't escaped both our minds that we had to guard the house from the three men because a witch and a pregnant and rejected female wolf were inside.

"Bye," Liana waved enthusiastically, "Thanks for the ride! See you never - I mean - Sayonara!"

In another flash, the men were out of the car. Jaxon narrowed his eyes. "I need to use the bathroom."

"Absolutely not." Liana and I spoke in unison.

"It's urgent." He said.

"You are a man, and there on the neighbour's side are the bushes," Liana pointed out. "Go ahead, she won't find out."

"And what is wrong with using your bathroom, Moon."

"Look, guys," I started to explain before Liana could blurt out something that would enrage my neighbour, "This place is a safe haven for me, Liana, and all those other women who have been dumped by their...whatever." I said, "We would appreciate it if you respect that."

The guys went deep into thought for a while, and then Adrian narrowed his eyes, "So you mean, that apart from you and Liana, there is another woman staying in this house?"

"Women," I corrected, not specifying the number. The more the merrier, and the more number of unknown females, the less chances to find the men snooping around the house in the middle of the night to steal our underwear.

Jaxon sighed, "Then I think it's better we stay at the hotel." He said, and then looked at me, "We had planned earlier that we would crash at your place at night, but since you have other people around..."

I faked an apologetic look.

I took a glance at the Beta King and his uneasiness showed on his face. Perhaps, he was sensing his mate, perhaps he was not.

Well, shit.

We stared for a good amount of time after the guys had left in their car, making sure that they didn't revert back to spy on us.

Then we both simultaneously released a sigh of relief.

The first burst of giggles came from me the moment we entered the safety of home, and I kept on replaying every memory of Liana drunkenly getting on Adrian's nerves. Liana soon followed and we both tumbled down on the floor, laughing hysterically while holding our stomachs and rolling on the floor.

"You both look ridiculously happy for someone who had to endure a fifteen minute ride with her mate. Is there something we are missing?" Kia entered the living room with an amused smile on her face while Mercy followed, her eyes wide and bright, ready for some gossip.

"Yeah, I caught a glimpse of the three of them together and it looked like they were going to murder someone today. We both wanted to call you every minute, but then you both are big girls and you were technically safe with your mates."

"I was getting manhandled in the backseat of the car."

Mercy's eyes widened, "What? Why?"

I burst out into laughter again, "Liana drunkenly suggested to me to find my PureBlood's mate and ditch my Werewolf one."

Liana's face was red with laughter, and she looked like she was wheezing for breath. Looking at her, I laughed even more.

Goddess, was it the alcohol that went to our head?

"Oh my Goddess," Mercy gaped at Liana, "You really did that?" Then she too let out a giggle, "I can't even imagine how insecure that must have made Alpha Adrian feel."

I snorted, "If Liana hadn't pulled me into her lap, I was sure he was not going to let go of me anytime soon."

Both Kia and Mercy giggled at that, "I'm pretty sure our Luna Prime wasn't that drunk." Mercy rolled her eyes, "It must have been fun."

"I wish we would have witnessed all the fun you just had," Kia said, "But how did you keep all three of them from coming in the house?"

Liana sat up from the floor, "Moon basically told them that we had converted her house into some sort of shelter for all the women who were single and alone. So they took the hint that their presence would not be exactly welcome and they went away."

Mercy and Kia nodded, "It was the truth, anyways."

"But," Now we all weren't laughing, "I still don't believe that they won't be snooping around the house when we all will be unaware. I suggest we all sleep in the same bedroom for today and keep all the doors and windows closed so we can keep an eye on each other."

"Yeah, the guys had their egos bruised today," Liana said, "We don't want them to sniff around thinking that we brought those guys home."

"That reminds me," I narrowed my eyes at Kia, "Who was that guy? What was his name...Vincent?"

"Oh man," Kia muttered under her breath, "I thought you forgot about that. Well, I wish I forgot about it."

"Why? What happened?" Liana interjected, "Don't tell me you're joining our single forever female clan."

"Not exactly..." Kia said, and my eyes widened.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Vincent...uh...he is the son of the head of the Wiccan Clan, so he is going to take up his position pretty soon."

"Another Alpha male," Liana rolled her eyes in distaste.

"Um...I, kind of, had a crush on him before the War between the Vampires, PureBloods and Weres. So after the war, I lost my parents and the only way to get out of that emotional trauma was to join the group of scouts that were going to search for safe lands. Before the war, I used to annoy him a lot and used to constantly find ways to be around him, but after it, I just disappeared to never return, and he never knew I was in the Were Kingdom."

"Interesting." Liana commented. "So now he came finding you?"

"Something like that." Kia scrunched up her nose, "Apparently he butted heads with the wrong wizard and earned himself a curse of not being able to recognise his mate even if she touched him or was standing right in front of him. After that curse, he had received many witches on his doorstep claiming that they were his mate but he couldn't trust a single one to be true."

Poor guy. It was perhaps the worst thing to punish someone this way - not being able to know who was the one for you.

But then, all humans survived with this curse, Josh would do just fine.

"So he dug in for information and tracked me down to that bar, only to berate me for not even telling him while leaving, and because he wants me to help him find his mate."

I was completely confused, "You two looked like you were in a heated argument when I found you."

"That was because I refused to help him in finding his mate. I can't help him." Kia said, dejectedly.

"Why can't you help him?" Mercy asked.

"Because it's me. I am his mate."

Three loud gasps echoed in the living room and I think all four of us went to shock for some time. It was cruel of fate to do so, bringing us all together and making the same thing happen to each one of us.

"Then why didn't you tell him that?"

Kia shook her head, "How could I? He obviously would have never believed me because he probably had an inkling how crazy I was - I am - about him. Whatever little trust he has in me, he would've lost it, too."

"But you can't exactly disobey if he commands you to help him, right?" Liana said, "If you say he's the son of the Wiccan Head, then he surely had the highest ranking and can dominate all of you."

"That's exactly what he did. I have to obey him - I have no other choice."

"Oh my," Mercy murmured, "This means you are going to leave." Her eyes watered.

"Not just yet, hey!" Kia cood and wrapped her arms around Mercy who was now sobbing loudly, "I bought some time, well, because I have a lot of things to sort out and a lot of mess to clear in my head."

Liana rubbed her forehead, and touched Mercy's knee comfortingly, "I think we should all go to sleep and give our tired minds some rest. Tomorrow, we'll all cuddle in together and watch a sappy movie so that we can all cry our hearts out."

Just her words were enough to make us all yawn.

I woke up abruptly.

I was panting and I was feeling uneasy in my chest.

Something was wrong.

I looked around and saw that everything was in place. My three girls were sound asleep and the windows and doors were still shut.

I was probably only getting suffocated.

I ventured out of the room, towards the kitchen - half asleep. I needed water, too, because for some reason I was too thirsty.

I softly padded towards the kitchen, making sure that I didn't wake up the others. When I entered the kitchen, I took out a glass from the cupboard, filled it with water, and drank it hurriedly in two to three gulps.

"Too thirsty, weren't you?"

I spluttered and coughed out the water I was drinking. It probably went up my nose, because that could be the only justification as to why my nose was running a flu infected child's.

He handed me a dish towel and I wiped my nose and face with it. After that, I just used it to cover my face, briefly entertaining the childish notion that perhaps if I wasn't seeing him, then he wouldn't be able to see me, too.

"You can't hide behind the towel forever, Moon, or perhaps I should start calling you by your real names: Celeste or Cynthia."

He was the one who didn't know my names till today - he had no right to mock me now.

"What in the hell are you doing here, Adrian?" I threw away the towel and glared at him, "And FYI, the name Cynthia is reserved only for my PureBlood Mate!" I grumbled. He deserved a mocking too!

All of a sudden, I was flying, and I didn't know when it was that I was suddenly sitting on the kitchen counter with Adrian right in between my legs. There was no space between us; my chest was completely pressed up against his and my thighs were pressed to his sides, with my ankles involuntarily locking behind him.

Stupid, stupid body.

"How can you retain your strength and speed here?" I asked him, completely ignoring the rapid thudding of his heart against his chest.

"Only the Alphas and Lunas can, seeing that they need the protection wherever they go. You can too, you just don't know how to use it, yet. That's a lesson for another day. I'm here to apologise."

I smiled at him bitterly, ignoring the rush of lust coursing through my body, "For what? Manhandling me when you are still doing the same? When are you going to stop using my body against me to make me do your bidding and to win every fucking argument?"

"It's not my fault that I always want you close to me whenever I am near you." He ran his fingers down my back, making me shiver.

"Stop making excuses," I gritted my teeth, trying to fight against the desire, "You were not that willing to be close to me when you came to find Liana."

His warm hand reached my naked thigh, and he brushed his lips against the crook of my neck. "I couldn't see Jaxon suffering so much."

"I think he deserved a little more punishment for his past sins," I muttered, God! my entire body was tingling so much!

"He is going through enough as it is," Adrian muttered, "I don't know why you are holding on to grudges for so long. You know what, I didn't come here to argue with you." He pulled away his face, and I missed the feel of his lips on my skin. "I'm here for a peace offering."

"Then you should check up what it means, on Google, Alpha Adrian," I bit out, "It surely doesn't involve mauling a woman in her kitchen."

He sighed and took a few steps away from me. Even though I got my space to breathe, I realised what he had meant by wanting to be close to me.

I got off the kitchen counter and wrapped the robe around me tightly, "What kind of peace are you offering?" I asked him, just a little bit more politely this time.

He took one step closer, "I don't like this, Moon, I don't like how all we do is fight whenever we see each other. Even though the date was my first effort to improve our relationship, it doesn't seem like it's working now. " His eyes were full of longing and that one look struck me deep, "We are not enemies, Moon, we are mates. I love you. This is not how we are supposed to be."

I had forgotten to breathe for a moment. Those three magic words left his lips so easily, but perhaps he didn't know the effect they would have on me. He did love me, and all I wanted was him - his love, his heart, his soul and his body.

It was all so simple, and we were mates - then why in the hell couldn't we be together.

Oh yeah, because of his pregnant Queen and unborn pup.

"Look," I started, taking in a breath, "If the situation had been different, your words would have meant something much more...to me." I gulped at his confused expression, "But right now, with all these complications surrounding us...I really can't bring myself to believe you. Even if I do believe you and...love you much more than you do...I can't not just keep listening to you say that and not be with you. "

"Then, I will say it again and again till you finally do believe me that there's nothing in this world that I love more than I love you. I want to be with you, forever, and I want to be completely yours, body, heart and soul. " He was again overcrowding my space and had pulled me into his arms, leaning down in such a way that his head rested against my chest.

I know. I wanted to tell him.

Tears threatened to escape to my cheeks, and my heart was rapidly beating in my chest. I didn't push him away, instead, I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and let him lift me up against him so that he could comfortably settle his head on my chest.

The feeling that filled up my chest was indescribable yet I could only use one word for it - bliss. I had read it only in werewolf romance novels, about how your mate made you feel, but I was yet to say that I had whole-heartedly experienced every part of it. Yet,now I could say that I felt just like how it had been described in the novels - safe, loved, comfortable. It was like gravity between him and me - there was nothing in the world at the moment who could bring us apart right now and make me feel differently.

But the sound of heavy footsteps were enough for me to know that it was time for Adrian to just leave or hide.

"Adrian," I whispered softly, "Someone's coming towards the kitchen; you need to go." I began to push him away. With the slow pace of the steps, and the heavy sounds, I was sure it was pregnant Mercy who was on her way to the kitchen after her midnight visit to the bathroom, and was probably heading here because she found that the lights were on.

"It's probably Liana, Moon," he said, huskily, "I don't think she will mind."

"It's not Liana!" I growled and firmly pushed him away, "It is someone else and I don't want her to see you. She would panic! I was not lying when I said that there are women in here other than Liana and me."