We kept walking along the lake in quiet until we reached a break in the reeds and vegetation where there was a small beach. He stopped and stepped onto the sand, taking another deep breath of the fresh air.

By now the sun had nearly dropped below the horizon, giving the air a wintery chill.

"Tomorrow at noon, when the sun is at its warmest, come swimming with me here," he said, turning to me.

He didn't phrase it as an offer but I folded my arms and raised an eyebrow.

"Why?" I asked.

"Why not?" he said in a bored tone, "Live a little, Esme."

I sighed and stepped down off the path to join him on the sand. Standing so close next to him, his scent drifted into my nose, undiluted by the other smells of wood and animals around us. I took a deep breath, my muscles easing as I followed his gaze out to the beauty of the lake.

"I warn you, it's freezing at this time of year," I replied.

His lips curled into a smile, "So is that a yes?"

I let out a short laugh, "You're so desperate to spend time with me," I stated looking up to him, "Why?"

The orange rays of evening sunshine fell onto his face, his smooth skin glistening and his eyes glowing an amber brown.

He looked down and smiled, "Haven't I made it clear already?"

"You are totally shameless, Alpha Rivers," I said shaking my head, "And haven't I made it clear that that is never happening?"

He let out a short laugh, "Whatever you say," he mumbled, "So do you have a bathing suit or do you Nightingale women swim fully dressed?"

I gave him a sarcastic smile before turning my back on him and walking on, letting him follow me.

"Do you Pheonix men ever talk about anything else?" I asked, "Your obsession with sex and women's bodies is boring. Tell me something interesting please."

"Fine," he said, "What do you want to know?"

I thought for a moment.

"What's your name?" I asked, "Your real name."

He smiled, "Theodore."

"Theodore," I repeated.

He let out a short laugh, "Not what you were expecting?"

I shrugged,

"I was expecting Lucifer or Hades or something along those lines," I said.

"No. Not quite," he said with a grin, "The name Theodore means a gift from the Goddesses."

I narrowed my eyes, "Hmmm. A gift to who exactly?"

"I don't know. Maybe to women," he said with a wink.

I rolled my eyes. It could only have been so long before he reverted the conversation back to that.

"Does anyone ever call you Theodore?" I asked, changing the subject back.

"No," he said, "Never."

"What about your mother?" I questioned, "Your Mother calls you Alpha Rivers?"

"My Mother has been dead ten years," he said bluntly, "So funnily enough, she doesn't call me anything."

I gritted my teeth, "Oh...I'm sorry. I-"

"It doesn't matter anymore," he interrupted, "It was years ago."

There was silence for a few moments as we walked.

"Well, Theodore," I said feeling the need to fill the quiet, "Now I know two things about the real you. It won't be long until I learn the rest."

He paused, "I doubt that..." he said quietly.

Dusk had now firmly set in, casting the forest in a low light as flies began to buzz in the air and the hooting of owls, just waking up for the night, sounded throughout the treetops.

We reached a clearing where Alpha Rivers stopped walking to glance across to the other side of the clearing.

I followed his gaze to see Lou, his Beta, jogging towards us.

"Lou?" Alpha Rivers asked.

"Alpha," his Beta replied, "I need to speak to you. It's important."

Alpha Rivers nodded before beckoning for his Beta to follow him away from me.

"I won't be long," he told me.

I furrowed my eyebrows before nodding and folding my arms. I'm not sure why I waited. I could have just left. But by the look on the Pheonix Beta's face and the hushed way he spoke to his Alpha, I could tell something wasn't right and I wanted to know what.

The sky above us darkened more every minute I stood waiting. The clouds began to gather in their thick grey masses, masking the bright light of the growing moon, creating a dampened hue of faint white light across the sky.

Earlier in the day, there'd been a soft breeze which the branches had swayed gently to, brushing, one another, quietly rustling as a multitude of different birds tweeted and sung. The sunlight had shone through the green of the leaves, which against the warm, woody brown of the tree trunks and the pastel blue of the afternoon sky, was vibrant and full of life.

But now the birds had silenced and the air was still. The branches pierced up into the charcoal sky, the fading light cloaking them in shadows of black, distorting them into all sorts of jagged, demented shapes.

I shuddered and brought my eyes away from the looming trees to see Alpha Rivers leaving his Beta and walking back over to me.

"I'm walking you home," he said.

I felt the chills of the night as I looked back into the gloomy trees.

"But I don't need walking home," I said.

"It wasn't up for debate," he said, "Let's go."

"Why? What did your beta just tell you?" I asked, refusing to move.

"None of your business," he replied.

I scoffed, "Allies, huh?"

He raised an eyebrow as he clenched his jaw tight.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked staring down at me.

"We are supposed to be united," I said firmly, "Whatever is going on, you should tell us."

He held a straight face, still staring down at me for a few more seconds before he turned his back.

"Come on. I want you home before dark," he said gesturing for me to follow.

"No, Alpha Rivers," I said, "I am so sick of your secrets."

"Esme," he said sternly, turning back again, frustration now all over his face.

"Do you expect us to follow you blindly into a war?" I asked, refusing to back down.

"You don't have a choice," he replied, "Your brother made a deal."

I felt my tongue push at the side of my cheek as I folded my arms. I already knew he wasn't the easiest man to get on with in the world but he certainly had a way of pissing people off.

"Follow me," he ordered, "Now."

When I refused to move, he began to march back towards me. His hand wrapped tightly around my wrist, yanking my arms apart and hauling me out of the clearing.

"Don't fucking touch me," I hissed.

He let go of my wrist and shoved me forwards so that he was walking right behind me, ushering me along.

"Has your pack been attacked?" I asked as we headed for my home.

He let out a short breath, "Stop asking questions."

"Would you speak to my brother like that?" I questioned.

"You aren't an Alpha," he said, "I have no obligation to respect you."

"Fuck you," I said turning around, "I am a leader of this pack equal to Alpha Brynn."

He kept walking until he was a couple of inches from me. But I refused to turn back and keep walking. Even as he towered over me, his face like steel and his eyes glaring down.

"You're a woman that was never taught her place," he remarked.

I felt my cheeks heat up as my tongue fought at the gates of my gritted teeth.

With his feet shoulder-width apart and his arms firmly folded, he showed no sign of backing down. Instead, he just waited patiently and calmly for my response.

I knew I shouldn't stoop to his level. I knew I shouldn't retaliate and give him the exact response he was provoking.

But fueled by anger, I had to give him a piece of mind.

"In the Nightingale pack, we do not discriminate between genders. I am a leader of this pack whether you like it or not and you will treat me as such," I growled, poking my finger at him. "And not just because it is a term of this alliance but because you should."

"Yeah, whatever," he said, "Can I escort you home now?"

It was like he hadn't even heard me.

My lip curled in anger but I knew arguing with him anymore was futile.

He gave me a few seconds before he nodded in satisfaction and came back towards me, "Good. Now, come on."

But I still refused to move and he let out a short sigh.

"Esme for the love of the Goddesses. I just want you safe," he said, his eyebrows sloping down.

"Why?" I questioned. "Why do you give a shit? You clearly don't think much of me."

With my words, his momentary lapse ended with his face hardening again into a glare.

"Just shut up and comply," he asked, his voice in a low growl, "I have so many more pressing things to deal with right now."

"Then go," I said, "As I've said, I can take myself home."

"And as I've said, I don't want you going alone."

"Fuck you," I hissed before turning away to storm off again.

He suddenly grabbed my wrist and I felt myself spin around before impacting with his chest. I caught his eye for a split second before he put his hands either side of my head and stretched his neck forward, pushing his lips against mine.

His kiss was gentle and soft and at first made me seize up completely. My eyes widened and I let out a low whimper but soon enough, I couldn't help but place my hands on his hips as his slowly relaxed their grip on my head, no longer needing to hold me in place. His thumb traced along my jaw as the other hand wrapped around my waist, pulling me in closer to him.

As he kissed me and I felt his hands on my body and his skin against mine, I began to feel an inexplicable warmth. It began at our lips and grew, spreading deep inside me, drawing me closer to him, stopping me from pulling away.

I relaxed as it grew, melting into his arms, letting him just hold me and kiss me deeper. I could feel my wolf howling from within, whining and scratching excitedly, trying to tell me something.

He looked down at me, his lips still apart. For once, he wore no sly smile and no condescending look in his eyes. In truth, he seemed just as taken aback as I was.

He ran his thumb across my lips as I kept looking into his eyes, admiring their fascinating warmth. I was lost for words, still deep in the hypnotic spiral his kiss had sent me into, unable to grasp at reality.

He then brushed a loose strand of hair out my eyes before letting out a deep breath.

"I knew you were different," he said looking up to the sky, "Now I know why."

Everything was beginning to add up.

How alluring his scent was, how soft his skin was against mine, how his touch sent warmth to my core. The way that despite everything he had done and everything he was, I couldn't quite bring myself to hate his company. The way my wolf had been restless since the day we met him like she was trying to tell me something.

Now she was crying out louder than ever, her thoughts finally becoming mine until we both had the same four-letter word screaming in our minds.

"It's because you're my mate," he said

My wolf leapt in excitement as the full realisation hit me. At first, she dragged me up into ecstasy with her, my heart elating as he held me in his arms.

But then I looked into his eyes once more and remembered everything.

He is Alpha Rivers.

My heart plummetted back down, bringing a sickness to my stomach as my smile dropped and I staggered back.

"No," I whispered.

His lips twitched as he watched me push him away.

"You can't be..." I said shaking my head, "It can't be you..."

I took another three steps back, now completely free from his grasp.

But his face had straightened back to its usual dark expression.

"Do not resist it," he said deeply.

Unable to muster an answer I just shook my head again and whispered, "I have to go."

But as I turned, he grabbed my wrist once again, this time in an iron tight hold.

"You don't get it, do you?" he asked, in a deep growl, "You are my mate now."

"Let go of me," I hissed, trying to yank my arm free.

But he only grabbed both my shoulders before driving my back against a tree.

I glared up at him and he didn't hesitate to glare back.

He didn't say a word, but instead just stared into my eyes as he had countless times before. But this time it was harsher, more intense.

"I demand that you let me go," I said, speaking every word clearly and commandingly.

There were a few moments of stillness before he slowly, loosened his grip on me and took half a single step back before slowly taking his hands off me.

I pulled myself upright off the tree and took a deep breath before clasping my jacket around me and stepping away.

As I passed, I felt my wolf beg me to reach for his hand, which was only a few inches from mine. Or wrap my warms around him again and take in that scent which still lingered in my nose. Or feel his lips on mine and let him have me.

But I ignored her and walked on by, without looking back and ran all the way home. On my way, the sky blackened and the light droplets of water transformed into lashing, driving rain.

I was soaked by the time I got through the front door, my lungs heaving from sprinting, fearing that Alpha Rivers would follow me.

I slammed the door behind me and pressed my back against the door, taking deep breaths and letting myself drip.

"Esme?" I heard Rose's voice say as she came from the kitchen, the smell of freshly baked bread following her, "Where've you been?"

"Working out," I said walking past her.

"For five hours. Esme?" she questioned. "Esme!" she called as I walked straight through the kitchen to the stairs.

"Don't worry about it, Rose," I said before marching up the steps and straight into my room.

As soon as I got to the safety of the walls of my bedroom, I didn't need my brave face anymore. I sunk down against the door, silently choking on the tears I'd been holding in since I left him in the forest. My eyes stung, my head pounded, my heart screamed.

I fought not to make a noise. I didn't want Rose to come upstairs to check on me and certainly not Tobias.

They couldn't know. No one can know. It would make it too real.