"Victoria, we need to talk." Lucian said as soon as we were parked next to the elaborate angel fountain. I stared out the window at the water spewing gracefully from the mouths. The streams made little splashes when it joined the rest of the water in the well. Silence hung in the air like a heavy cloud. The tinted windows made it almost seem too intimate. I glanced at the locks, wanting to be away from Lucian. It was locked.

When I said nothing, Lucian continued. "Tonight is the mating festival for my pack and for you. Us. Once an Alpha finds a mate, it becomes his duty to inform the rest of the packs about her. Sort of like a gathering in honour for the mate. It's been a tradition for every Alpha since the Elders were created. Everyone, or every wolf I should say, have been dying to see you. My father was a very respected man until he died, so now it's extra pressure for me to live up to my name. The mating festival has to be thrown tonight because there will be a full moon. At least one representative from their pack, whether it be the Beta or the Alpha or both, will be here tonight to see you."

I chewed my lip. ''So it's like a party?"

"Well, it will certainly not be like the one you threw." Lucian murmured, his tone becoming darker like he was thinking of that night. "It will be way more formal. I will have Vaughn take care of everything. All I ask from you is that you behave. Please, Victoria." Lucian turned to me, his eyes pleading. "You can do whatever you want to me afterwards, okay? Torture me, hit me, slap me...just do this one thing for me though. My life is all yours, Victoria. Please be good. For one night. It'll be all I ask."

"Don't worry." I replied testily. "I won't act like a total bitch, if that's what you are asking."

"You know that is not what I meant, Victoria."

"Of course it isn't." I reached over and pushed the button on his side of the door, unlocking the doors all at once. Before Lucian could say anything more, I scrambled out of the car. It felt strange whenever we fought, kind of like a painful tugging at my heart. Why couldn't I control my body's reactions anymore? Lucian's door followed mine, but his was more forceful. I hurried to get inside the house before Lucian could catch up, but then again, when was luck ever on my side?

"Promise me you will be good." Lucian took hold of my arm, the same place where he held me before. I suppose he didn't always remember that I was human and skin could get bruised easily. Trying not to show the pain, I fixed Lucian with a cold stare that matched his own. 

"I promise, okay?" I muttered. ''I'll be the perfect little puppet for you tonight. Faking smiles isn't that hard, Lucian. I've had much more practice since you bought me here." Harsh words, but I couldn't seem to stop. "You can pull my strings and change me into the girl of your dreams. Flaunt me in front of your little friends like I am a present. Fuck, I'll even wear black tonight. After all, I must follow my master's order. God forbid the little human having her own opinion, right?"

"Dammit, Victoria, will you stop acting like you're my prisoner?" he roared, pushing me away. I pressed my lips together until I felt the blood completely drain. Lucian looked defeated. "What have I not given you yet? Tell me what you want so badly and I will hand it to you on bent knees. Don't you see it, Victoria? I speak cold words but they hold no value. I may be the Alpha but you know you can destroy me in a second. It is not the other way around. Tell me what I can do to make you accept me. I am not the villain here."

No one had ever said that to me before. In my life, Flora came first. I didn't care if I survived, as long as she did. Now that it was about me, I didn't know what to do. And I hated myself for it but in a situation like this, I acted horribly.

"Well, you are no damn hero either."

"You just never stop, do you?" Lucian stormed up to me, his eyes simmering. "Get dressed, puppet. We wouldn't want any scandals coming up tonight, do we? Oh, you're a bitch Victoria. I may not be a hero, but at least I don't have to rescue any whiny little princesses. If it wasn't for my wolf, I would leave you in the streets for the real monsters to play with."

"Okay." I refused to fight with Lucian anymore. His eyes instantly lost some of their fire at my careless attitude. Truth was, it was killing me what he had said. But I wouldn't remain an open book anymore. No. I refused to care. Just like Lucian. What scared me the most was that maybe I would eventually become like Lucian. I didn't want to. Flora and my humanity was all I had left.

Our mating was just a twist of nature.

Nothing more, nothing less.

It was only when I walked away when the tears escaped my brimming eyes. Without Flora around, everything just felt cold and miserable. I couldn't tell if Lucian had followed me inside or not. Not that I cared. The mansion was empty. Even Vaughn was nowhere to be seen. I felt pathetic, a little child lost with a bruised heart and high pride. Worse yet, I would have to see Lucian again for the mating festival. Even thinking about him made my skin crawl and my heart pound. The feelings were just a mixed jumble, the mating bond changing things inside of me. 

I stumbled up to my bedroom, sniffling in the cold silence. I didn't want this anymore. Lucian wasn't going to be my happiness but the end of it. Before, I had utterly despised Draycottand loved the nights that were spent reading bedtime stories to Flora. Now, it seemed like a distant dream. I stripped off and watched the clean, blue water rush into the bathtub. The roaring sound helped clear my head. I felt defiled, like even the biggest amount of soap couldn't cleanse the sins inside.

Shutting the tap off, I stepped inside.

The scorching water burned my skin but I welcomed the pain. Sinking in, I let the water cover my mouth. It felt good to feel something but the anger and resentment with Lucian. Oh, Lucian. He was beautiful but deadly. Like a rose, the petals delicate and perfect while dangerous thorns lurked below. Not everyone who was beautiful was perfect.

Lucian was not perfect. 

I sat up straighter, the water's gentle swishes beginning to feel strange. I hated being submerged in water. I avoided going into pools with everything I had. The water turned cold, not slowly like the heat was naturally going away, but uncomfortably fast. In a moment, the water around me was at an arctic level. Did I accidentally hit the faucet for cold water or something? God, it was freezing.

I tried to get up, but my legs felt like blocks, weighed down by an unseen force. My fingers grabbed the edge of the tub and I forced myself up, my heart pounding. As I sat in the water for a second, trying to make sense of what just happened, something cold and wet touched my ankle from underneath the blanket of blueness.

It tugged sharply.

The water suddenly cascaded over my head until I was fully emerged into the bathtub. Blind panic rose in my throat, adding to the pain of constricting lungs. My whole body flailed, trying to reach the surface yet my head never broke through. Bubbles rose up from my nose. I felt water reach my throat, a choking cough snaking through the water.

Horrible thing it was, drowning.

I looked up to see the face of my killer before it was too late. But there was nothing there. An invisible force kept my head under the water. I felt my resolve weaken. My mind screamed to keep fighting and get air, but my body was shutting down. Something that could not be seen was going to kill me. Pathetic tears crawled down my face, but I didn't even know if it was possible to cry underwater. 

A blurry image came above me but my lack of air had weakened my entire body. Blackness was sinking into my vision. Something cold and firm grabbed my arms and pulled up until I felt gasping breaths of cold air being drawn into my lungs. Choking on the excess water in my throat, I gasped and fell out. My throat felt raw and my vision blurry. Miserable tears leaked from my eyes.

"Victoria! What the bloody fuck is wrong with you?" A voice growled in my ear. It was so familiar and perfect with a low tone and the sweet anger lacing his accent. I felt Lucian lift me from the ground. Uncontrollably shuddering, I allowed myself to be pulled into Lucian's arms. "Seriously? I thought you were better than this. Suicide, Victoria? What the hell is-"

"It wasn't me, L-Lucian!" I finally found my voice. Brushing away the tears, I looked into his clear crystal eyes. They were filled with aching pain and regret and anger, all the emotions I was feeling. Lucian glared at me, silently brewing a rage behind his panicked eyes. Hysterical sobs left my mouth, where water had cut off my breathing just moments before. "I swear to you, i-it wasn't m-me."

"Bloody hell, Victoria." he whispered, wrapping his arms around my waist. I went limp in his strong arms and let myself rest my head under his chest. Lucian's scent wafted up my nose, a mixture of the woods and expensive cologne. Slowly, my breathing returned to normal.

"Come on. You'll catch a cold just standing there." he murmured softly, pulling me away from the tub. My head was swimming with what had just happened. I knew I wasn't trying to drown myself, but I knew that no one was there with me either. Was I going insane?

I pulled the black towel Lucian had handed to me tighter and sat on the bed. Involuntary shivers ran down my body from the chilly air of the bedroom. Lucian paced up and down the room before coming to a stop before me. I hated the worry etched on his face. 

"Damn, I am so sorry Victoria. I say things I do not mean, and I know I shouldn't do that. I can cancel the party. I do not care for it anymore. We can do it some other time, everyone will have to understand. Your safety is the only thing that I need." Lucian sat cross-legged on the ground, mumbling. "I will never let you out of my sight again, Victoria. Dangerous things happen when wolves let their guard down. I am so sorry....I am so so sorry....will you ever forgive me?"

"Lucian, what the hell are you going on about?" I forced myself to move down and take a seat beside him. Lucian was cursing under his breath, his eyes angry. "Don't cancel the party. I know it means a lot to you. I do not know what happened tonight, but whatever it was, we can figure out later." I swallowed dryly. "And for the record, I am sorry too. You're not the only one who says things they shouldn't. I didn't try to drown myself, Lucian-"

Lucian stood up, his eyes glowing. "I will not allow you to attend a party after you attempted to take your l-"

He abruptly stopped speaking and looked behind my shoulder at the sound of a door closing. The air was static with tension. Lucian was instantly in front of me as Vaughn entered the room. I kept my mouth shut and watched over Lucian's towering height at the girl who followed Vaughn. It was the girl with the red hair I had seen before. She held a black bag in one hand, the other entwined with Vaughn's.

"I asked Genie to help with Miss Checke for tonight, but she already had that plan. Genie wanted to help her get ready. I cannot understand women sometimes." Vaughn grumbled as they walked towards Lucian, who turned and eyed me silently.

"Mr. Nayati." Vaughn said stiffly. "Shall we go prepare the ballroom?"

They both left after Lucian mouthed a 'we'll talk about this later' to me.

She gave me a cheerful smile. "Hello, Victoria. My name is Genie Moorse. Vaughn is my mate, if you were wondering." Her voice was high and sweet, ringed with a kindness I hadn't heard in a long time. Genie put the bag down on the bed. "I thought you might need help getting ready. Lucian had mentioned you were not exactly...accepting. Our pack's jubilee will be attracting other Alphas from all over the world, and I just thought it might be useful if there was another girl around for a second opinion. I do hope I have not over-stepped, Victoria."

"No, of course not." To be honest, I was already so grateful for Genie. She seemed like a kind-hearted person. Beautiful too, with blazing red hair and warm brown eyes. I quickly came to admire her poise. She didn't seem too affected from all the high energy of wolves. It was a nice change to be away from a certain beautiful wolf. "Thank you for coming. I honestly did not know what I'd do for tonight. This sucks." I plopped down on the bed. "I don't want to be shown off like some jewel, flaunted around in front of everyone. Why me? Why couldn't Lucian mate with someone else?"

Genie pulled me up and made me sit in front of the mirror. The black bag was in her hand. She unzipped it and began pulling out all kinds of makeup and jewelry. I winced as a lash curler appeared in front of me. Medieval torture devices, anyone?

"I know how you feel." Genie laughed, a soft beautiful sound. She took a part of my hair and began doing something to it. "When I first met Vaughn, something in me just woke up. My wolf instantly knew he was different, but it was dulled from being locked away most of my life. I thought I was going crazy whenever he was around. You know what I mean? Off-beat heart rate, sweaty palms, and those little butterflies in your stomach that makes you want to throw up?"

"Oh boy, do I."

"Vaughn and I first crossed paths in the Whitaker Forest. I had run away from home. My father had abused me for my entire life, and one day I just had enough of it. I had nothing left to live for, but I was determined to stay strong. Days passed in the forest. I had to eat squirrels to survive. My wolf side was dying, human part with it. Gruesome things, I saw." Genie started lathering my face with foundation. Her voice was soft, like it pained her to continue.

"Genie, I am so sorry. You don't have to keep going if you don't want to." That was the only thing I could come up with. She smiled sadly and shook her head.

"It's fine. My story gets better, do not worry. I was just about to give up. I had traveled to the farthest corner of London somehow. I planned to jump off the cliff that borders Castleton. I was ready to die, Victoria. Death seemed like a gift to me then. But I didn't even take one step before Vaughn stopped me. He asked what I was doing and nearly cried when I explained." Genie smiled at the thought. "I would never forget that day. He said that he had searched the entire world for me. That he was a werewolf and I was his mate and he loves me. That he and I were meant to be. The first thought that crossed my mind was that this man was completely insane or he was on drugs. I mean, what else was I supposed to think? This beautiful man crouched before me and saying that I was his love for the rest of eternity? Close your eyes for a second." Genie chuckled.

"Genie, that is so sweet. I had the same reaction, too." My throat was closing up with the emotions her story bought. It was like nothing I had ever imagined.

"Yeah well, that was not what I was thinking." Genie said softly. "I didn't know what was going on but my wolf eventually reconnected with her animal side. Since Vaughn wasn't a powerful figure, he was much calmer and patient with explanations. It's different for every mate, but Lucian's would be the strongest because he's an Alpha. That's why your bond is so much stronger, why everyone is out for your blood. That is why every sense is heightened for you both. Being an Alpha's mate means both good and bad. Good being that your love is almost impossible to break, and bad being that your love is almost impossible to break. Do you understand?"

Genie started doing all sorts of things to my face. "Not really." I said honestly. "I do not understand Lucian. I don't understand my life anymore. Before Lucian, everything just seemed so normal."

"And boring, Victoria!" Genie said. "Don't you get it? This is what you were meant to be. When you were born, it was already written down to happen. Lucian and your fates were tied even before you took your first breath. You cannot simply go back to the way things were before. You can't change the past, Victoria."

"But I don't want this, Genie." I sat up straighter in the chair. "Do you? Mates don't get any choices, do they? I know Vaughn controls some aspects of your life. Doesn't that bother you, Genie? His possessiveness? I may blindly go into battle and I know I'll get hurt. But never will I let a man control me."

"I admire that about you." Genie murmured. "That is why you are meant to be with Lucian. He's a stubborn, hard-headed man who is not easily challenged, but he has a good heart. You are the same. Sometimes, it's good for the Alpha to be thrown off. Lucian needs to lighten up, I agree. It's kind of funny, you and him. I know the rest of my pack is very surprised with you and how you are not afraid of him. Your pink hair tells us more than you think."

"What does it tell you?" I panicked, plucking out a strand of my pink hair.

Genie laughed. ''It tells us that you are not afraid. And our pack needs that. Lucian is in for some trouble, I can tell you that! You can open your eyes now."

I did. The girl in the mirror looked nothing like me anymore. My pink hair curled and twisted into the perfect bun, the frizz before gone from Genie's magical products. A winged eyeliner, pink lipstick that matched my hair, and flawless skin all added up to a different Victoria Checke. I looked like someone else, and maybe that was just what I needed.

"Must you leave this thing visible on my neck though?" I winced, tracing the bruise Lucian had left when he bit me. "It's kind of embarrassing."

"Never, Victoria!" Genie scolded. "You can never cover up your mark." She brushed her hair back and showed me a mark similar to mine near the back of her head. "Bites show property. Without the mark, bad things could happen, Vic. Not everyone is like us. Viktor was an example of that."

"Okay. Genie, you are amazing!" I leaped up and encased her in a hug, all awkwardness from before gone. Her sweet laughter sounded in the air as she returned the embrace. I broke off, absolutely glowing. The haunting thoughts of what happened in the bathroom was pushed to the back of my mind as Genie pulled me to the closet.

"Thank you." she replied smugly. "Who says makeup has to be serious to look good? Now let's go, your Alpha is waiting. And you know you will have to wear something black. You must!" Genie shot me a grin and pushed me back out of the closet. She started rummaging through the piles of expensive dresses Lucian had provided me with. "It's Lucian's favourite colour. Don't ask why, though. Probably cause it reflects of the darkness inside him that keeps him awake at night, the demons in the back of his tormented, lonely mind, only chased away by a certain pink-haired girl who-"

"Genie, shut up."

She poked her head back out and smirked. "How about this?" Genie held up a black dress from the hanger that dangled off her fingers. It was long and poofy and completely ridiculous. It was like something an evil witch might wear to be dramatic.

"You are so kidding!" I yelped, covering my eyes from the horrible thing. Genie laughed and went back to looking for a dress. She almost immediately came back out with another. 

"Too dark."

"Victoria, it's black. There is no colour darker than black." Nevertheless, she popped back out with a different one.

"Too slutty."

And it continued. Too short, too long, too evil-looking, too dramatic, too flimsy, too light (although I didn't know how black could be light) or too formal. Genie began picking out dresses without even looking at them. The pile of discarded clothing began growing as the long process continued. Lucian had horrible taste in fashion, really. But then again, he didn't even know what I would be like. 

"How about this?" Genie asked. She shoved one onto my lap.

"Oh, that's cute...I kinda like it." I gazed curiously at the dress. It was short, presumably ending mid-thigh. The overskirt was flowy and sheer, creating an abstract design over the low cut neckline. Genie let out a happy squeal.

"Finally! Try it out! It is really cute, I admit."

"Aren't you going to the festival?" Genie turned around as I dropped the towel and pulled on my undergarments. I unzipped the back and struggled to slip inside. "If you are, shouldn't you get ready? I think Lucian will start soon." I nearly fell on my face as my toe caught the neckline.

"Yes, I'm going. I'll get ready later." Genie replied with her back turned to me. "The festival will start at 10 o' clock, but you have to go down at exactly midnight. I think Vaughn told me it will be held in the ballroom."

"Wait, why am I going two hours later?"

"I don't know why. No one ever explained it to me, but every Alpha's mate has to be seen at precisely midnight when the moon is at full power. Some strange werewolf tradition, I suppose. Lucian will be up to check on you soon, I'm sure. Make a dramatic entrance, Victoria. Everyone loves crap like that." Genie replied.

"Did you ever get a mating festival?" I asked curiously. The dress fit me like a snug glove but it was shorter than I thought it would be. The hemline was stiff and showed my milky thighs on full display, ending just halfway up. But the rest was okay. I struggled to zip it back up. Genie sensed this and came over to help, throwing a pair of dangerous-looking black heels on the bed.

"No, only Alpha's mates get one. Being in a pack comes with a lot of responsibilities. One of them is that we must always abide by the Alpha's words, but also his mate. Your word is the law in our pack. For instance, you could tell me to punch myself in the face, and I would have no choice but to follow that order."

"That is an abuse of power, I would never."

"But you could." Genie pointed out as she zipped it. "You see, being the Alpha's mate isn't all bad, Victoria. As a member of the pack, it is none of my business. As a friend though, I can assure you that you will be happy. I love Vaughn. He gives my life meaning. He is my life. Tell me the truth, Victoria." Genie stared straight into my eyes. "Do you love Lucian?"

My mouth bobbed up and down, at a loss for an answer. Genie waited expectantly, waiting for a reply. I couldn't give her one. Confusion and panic curled in my stomach. Did I love Lucian? Was that what those butterflies meant? But wasn't that just an effect of the bonding?

"I don't know, Genie. I honestly don't know."