"No."

"My decision is final."

"Nah-uh."

"The three of you are going, and now that's an order." Felicity and Janine looked down, overpowered by their alpha's command, but I only smirked.

"Still not a part of your pack, Cadie," I sang.

"That's not fair! If we have to go, you do too." Janine frowned, while Cayden nodded with a serious expression.

Currently, I, along with the girls, were being shooed out of the pack due to the arrival of some big-shot alpha who Cayden didn't trust. It would have been cute, but him sending us off would just mean that he didn't trust us to take care of ourselves (or hold our tongue), which was insulting. Even if it was true that I had a tendency to blurt out random things.

I had also overheard him talking to his Beta about how he was worried that one of us could be mates to the so-called ruthless alpha, and that set a momentary fear in my heart too. I wasn't planning to stay here for the visit since Alphas aren't my favorite people to be around, nor was I keen on meeting my mate, but messing around with Cayden and seeing him frustrated was fun.

"I'll let you drive my Ferrari." He negotiated, and I raised my eyebrows. He was incredibly attached to 'Lydia,' his blood-red beauty with a heart of steel, and his willingness to part with it was a surprise. "I would take that offer up if I knew how to drive a car," I shrugged.

"I'll drive it!" Felicity eagerly piped up.

"Too young," Cayden shot his sister a disapproving look. She stuck her tongue out and frowned, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Okay, that's enough. You've got two options: either you go out of the pack or you stay in the dungeons with a guard. Take your pick." He started to walk away from my gaping self. I pursed my smile and tried desperately to hide my amusement, but Cayden's sulky face on his tall, broad frame was hilarious.

"I'm going, I'm going!" I called out to him, but he didn't stop. "Just so you know, I didn't plan on meeting this Alpha anyways."

"I know," he informed me. Of course, he did.

Felicity and Janine looked at me quizzically, as if they had just seen a terribly tough math sum that needed to be solved. I assumed that they both mind-linked each other because the range of expressions on their faces was comically identical. Sad, annoyed, angry, and then excited.

"We are going shopping!" Felicity did a little shimmy, and I groaned.

"Just take my life already," I moaned, letting my face drop into my open palms. Janine was trying to peel my hands off my face when Cayden re-entered the scene with a panicked look on his face.

"You three," he pointed at us. "Dungeon, now."

"Not happening. We agreed out of the pack." I argued. Pat and Jules protested at his command.

"The Alpha is already here; the dungeons will keep you safe."

"What is he going to do to us in your territory?" I rolled my eyes at his paranoia.

"He has a reputation. Should any problem arise, I want you all out of harm's way so that I can fight instead of spending time worrying about your well-being."

"Maybe you shouldn't have invited someone you didn't trust into the pack land!" As soon as I said it, I knew I had gone too far. Challenging an Alpha's decision or motives could be instant death in some packs. The only reason I wasn't dead already was that Cayden thought of me as family. His eyes flashed a dangerous black color, and I bowed my head in submission, baring my neck only slightly to show that I had backed down this time.

After a second or two, he seemed to have regained control over his wolf and gave a reassuring smile. The dungeon was a cold and uncomfortable place that I had never visited before. Silver Eclipse Pack generally had a happy aura, but this place sent chills down my spine.

Cayden knew that I hated dungeons. They were an unwelcome trigger to memories that I wished to lock in a place so far away that they didn't have a chance of surfacing. But he still left me here. My chest started to tighten uncontrollably, and I felt the sweat beginning to form, dripping down my face.

"I can't sit here," I told the girls who were looking at me concerned.

"You can't leave, Miracle," Jules informed me.

"Yes, I can! I'm not a prisoner. I'm not in this pack. I'm a guest, and a guest should be-"

"Travis, open this," I told the guard.

"I can't do that, Miracle. Alpha's orders," he said with an apologetic smile but moved away from the door to give me more breathing space.

"Tell him I need to be let out. Dungeons. Can't-"

"He's blocked off. But I could go find him if you want?" Travis asked me, concerned. I couldn't breathe. I just couldn't. Felicity was rubbing my back in a steady rhythm.

"Just open the door, Travis. I'm sure Cayden will understand," Felicity urged him.

"This counts as a life or death situation, right?"

"You have eyes, right?" Janine asked him sarcastically. He rolled his eyes at her and made his way toward the door with the right key in hand. The moment the door unlocked, I pushed it open and fell to the floor.

The day, coupled with the location, was bound to create problems. I ran until I reached the pack house and stealthily sneaked toward Cayden's office. There were surprisingly no guards outside, but I could smell about twenty to thirty male werewolves standing inside the room in close proximity.

Snooping could get me into trouble, but I was curious about which Alpha had riled up Cayden so much. I inched towards the door and placed my palms on it. In a matter of seconds, I felt the door move inwards and found myself stumbling into the room and onto the floor.

Cayden shook his head at my horizontal body.

Oops!

"Hi, Cadie!" I smiled sweetly at my friend, who looked ready to murder me. "Isn't it a fine night?"

A low, but powerful growl echoed off the walls of the huge office, but I didn't turn, not even to see where the delicious aroma of cake was coming from. Cayden helped me up, or rather forced me up when he saw that I wasn't making a move to stand up. He tried to shield me from the person from where the growl emitted, but in vain.

I felt a powerful, tantalizing aura making its way across the room and towards me. All my senses were on high alert, and the fine hair on my arms and unshaven legs had started to rise up due to the electric feel.

He was my mate; he had to be. I had heard stories about the maddening power of the mate bond, and there was no explanation for the way I was feeling. From my peripheral vision, I saw Cayden come to stand in front of me, and along with him, other Silver Eclipse pack members surged forward, causing the male werewolf to growl again.

He certainly had a way with words.

"Let him come," I told Cayden, putting a hand on his shoulder to assure him of my confidence. He reluctantly moved away but didn't go far. My possible mate didn't seem to like my buddy-behavior with Cayden and finally uttered a single word.

"Move!" Cayden's eyes flashed black for the second time in a night. The anonymous male's voice was so smooth. There was no other way to describe it. I think Cayden finally caught on to what was happening before him; a mate bond was a dangerous thing to mess with, so he took a careful step aside, still close enough in case he needed to protect me.

The man who finally came within my line of sight with no obstruction was absolutely, heartbreakingly gorgeous. He had dark hair that was similar to my own, perfect lips, and a straight nose that no other male could match (though I think that's the bond's doing). His silvery grey eyes confirmed what I had already guessed; he was my mate, and he was beautiful.

"You're beautiful," he put his hand forward, presumably to tenderly stroke my cheek, or choke me to death for disturbing his meeting, but I put a hand up.

"Don't touch me," I backed away. "Not till I allow it."

"I can't touch what's mine?" He asked me, confused.

"Yours?" It was my turn to be confused.

"You deny the mate bond?" I wasn't great at reading emotions, but I could see that he was angry and a little disappointed at my resistance. If he was looking for an obedient little mate, he was in for a rude awakening.

"I don't. But I'm not an inanimate object," I explained.

"That wasn't my implication," he tilted his head at me curiously, searching for something. But what? "You're a rogue?"

"I am."

"But yet you are living here?" He could probably smell the pack land on me; a strong alpha could usually pick up pack scents well.

"Perhaps we can talk about this in private?" I felt uncomfortable discussing our mate bond in front of the Silver Eclipse pack members and his guards. He gave a look towards a tall man who nodded and walked away with the rest of his people following.

"Cayden?" I asked my friend for a silent favor, and though he still looked worried for me, he knew that mates rarely could harm their significant others.

"I'll be right outside. Harm her, and be rest assured there will be blood spilt," Cayden warned the man in front of me, who gave him a menacing glare. I could see that he was barely controlling his anger towards my best friend, so I nodded quickly and closed the door.

"Don't mind him, he's just protective." The man nodded, his full concentration focused on me.

Once the room was empty, I felt the nervous energy inside me explode. My still nameless mate looked like he was in deep thought, and the awkwardness was starting to rise.

"So what's your name?" I was tired of thinking of my mate as the nameless handsome alpha, so I finally decided to ask him.

"Arden Jackson, Alpha of the Sangre Leikos pack." Oh, no. I felt my eyes widen at the name. Cayden' jittery behavior in the morning and extra careful behavior around his impending arrival now made complete sense, as he was one of the strongest Alphas with a reputation that wasn't the kindest.

I always made sure to steer clear of his pack's boundary lines when out in the wild, as the tales of his ruthlessness and unforgiving behavior were known even by the newest of rogues. He hated us. Absolutely loathed us.

"You hate rogues." I noticed the way his fists clenched together tightly, and then unclenched almost as quickly.

"What's your name?" He asked me instead of replying to my question.

"Miraclemarie."

"That's a pretty name."

"Thanks, I know." I did a playful hair flip before I realized who I was with. "Sorry."

"Don't apologize. A mate tends to show off her best qualities and assets in her mate's presence." I almost laughed at the seriousness with which he said that.

"I'm not trying to impress you." I crossed my arms over my chest.

"It's unconsciously done." He said, and for the first time, I saw him smile. It was barely there, but it was worth catching.

"I'm amazing, I ooze awesomeness, I don't need to explain myself to you." I narrowed my eyes at my mate. I thought mates were supposed to be loving and hopelessly in love!

"Well, you are going to be stuck with me for a long time; I think it's time you start."

"Call me." Felicity had been hugging me, or rather resting her chin on my shoulder for the last five minutes, murmuring instructions into my ear and telling me random things she had heard about my mate. I don't know why because the only thing it did was make me more guarded around him. I did not want to be tied to a tree upside down.

"I will," I said for the hundredth time, rolling my eyes and patting her back sympathetically. Despite multiple goodbyes before, Patty didn't make this one any shorter. Janine had already taken her turn before as she knew Felicity was a time hog.

"No, you won't! You'll be too busy making gorgeous babies with your gorgeous mate in your gorgeous home with fabulous pack mates!" She whined.

"Woah, who said anything about staying there? Aren't you getting a little carried away?" I asked her with a smile.

"He's your mate." She stated the obvious.

"I know that."

"You aren't planning on staying with him?" She looked shocked. Janine, who was picking blades of grass from the ground, stood up and looked at me shaking her head.

"Did you mention that little detail to him?" Janine asked me.

"I don't see the need to." I shrugged. "I'll check out the scene, maybe stay a month till my leg heals and go out again."

"But he's your mate and haven't you heard? Your home is where your heart is!" Patty exclaimed.

"This is my home." I pointed out to her. "I love you, Jules, and Cayden more than anyone in this world, but that doesn't mean I stay here, do I?"

"I'm afraid that's not how a mate bond works, Miracle." Jules interrupted. "I know how much you want to preserve your wild spirit, but he's your mate, and an Alpha, nonetheless. He won't let you out of his sight for long."

I pondered over that for a short while, simultaneously thinking about how little Jules and Patty really knew about me. Cayden and his parents were the only ones who knew my true reasons for continuing to stay a rogue despite their readiness at accepting me as a part of their loving pack.

A mate bond was strong, but surely Alpha Jackson would understand my reasons. If not, then too bad. I made a mental note to remind myself to bring up this topic as soon as possible, as being on the receiving end of a well-known temper wasn't a part of my bucket list.

"We'll see," I replied, pursing my lips. From my peripheral vision, I could see Alpha Jackson standing close enough to see me, but far enough to give me enough privacy to say my goodbyes.

His rigid posture and flickering eyes made a small smile slide onto my face. He probably felt my state, for at the exact moment that I looked at his face, his eyes met mine. He nodded once and started to make his way towards me.

Jules and Felicity were still talking about me, so I quietly murmured "Alpha alert" under my breath, which caused them to shut up instantaneously.

"Are you ready to leave?" He asked in a gruff voice. I was tempted to pull his cheeks and coo at him, but I had a feeling that he wouldn't appreciate the gesture. Instead, I patted his arm awkwardly.

"Just a minute. Where is Cayden?" I asked Jules. She was about to reply, but I heard Cayden running up to me with sweat dripping down his face.

"Sorry I was late, there were a few things I had to do," he said, smiling.

"What's more important than telling me goodbye?" I asked him with a pout.

"Getting you this." He waved a dusty box in the air that looked pretty old.

"What's that?" I asked curiously while ideas popped into my head, some of them normal and others rather absurd.

"Something that Dad told me to give you when you found your mate." I felt tears well up in my eyes when I heard Cayden talk about his father, who I came to love as my own despite the rarity with which I met him.

Last year, in a rogue attack, Henry passed away, and his wife died of depression a few weeks later. That's when I truly felt like an orphan. Henry and Margo had hearts of gold, and when I received the news, it was too late as they had already been buried and I couldn't say goodbye.

I took the box in my hand gingerly and opened it to see the contents inside.

There was a white gold necklace and a letter. I kept the letter in my jacket pocket to read later privately and removed the necklace.

It was a locket, and when I opened the pendant, there was a picture of Henry, Margo, Cayden, Pat, Jules, and I on one side, all of us laughing. It was clicked a year before they died, and I wasn't sure how they actually got so many people to fit in such a tiny frame. The other side was empty.

I held it out to Cayden, who placed it on my neck. I heard low growls coming from my mate, but I ignored it and hugged Cayden tightly.

Arden came to my side and gave another, more forceful growl, and Cayden reluctantly let go of me.

"Take care."

"I love all of you!" I said one last time. I rolled my eyes at my own theatrics; it wasn't like it was the last time I was seeing them, but it sure felt like it.

"We love you too." Arden growled again.

"Oh, shut up!" I told him annoyed and made my way towards the black Prado that was parked a little distance from where we were standing. I opened the back door and got in, waiting for Arden to get in, but I was surprised to see him holding open the door for someone who I was presuming was supposed to be me.

"Sorry." I sheepishly rubbed my neck. "I don't think people do that anymore."

"First impressions matter, Little Rogue." He smirked and got into the car finally. The door closed, and we started our journey towards his pack, a place I could finally strike off my list.