I was naked. That was the first thing I thought when I awoke. I was enveloped in soft sheets and a warm comforter. My eyes fluttered slightly and I inhaled the pillow deeply.

It smelled of sandalwood, pine and cinnamon; it smelled of Jackson.

My left hand was firmly in the grasp of another hand. I opened my eyes slowly and saw Jackson holding my hand in his own tightly, his head slumped on the bed and breathing deeply – obviously sleeping. I looked right and noticed a window. The near-full moon shone brightly through the darkness outside, illuminating a massive forest below.

How long had I been out? Where was I?

Jackson stirred beside me, letting out a small groan.

"Jackson?" I whispered.

He shot his head up, his light eyes still bleary from sleep. His hand released mine and instead flew up to my forehead followed by the other on my cheek.

"The fever is still gone, thank God," he said and looked me in the eyes. "How are you feeling?"

"Better than I have in a long time," I answer truthfully.

"Unfortunately it won't last unless we complete the mating ritual."

I nodded and fiddled with my hands, now gently folded in my lap. My face burned brighter than the sun and I tried to look anywhere other than Jackson.

"How long have I been out?"

"A little over five hours. I was starting to get worried."

I turned back to him and placed my hand back on his own.

"How is Phil?"

"Fine thanks to you, we wouldn't have even realized he needed our help if not for you." Jackson smiled. "His daughter will probably be by sometime to personally thank you. Will, he was the man who was with me, he pulled Phil out of the woods was his son-in-law."

I nodded. That explained how quickly he had surged into the forest after Phil. I looked down at the healing-bruise on my wrists, luckily werewolves heal quickly and it was finally beginning to heal now that I was safe and sound. The whole right side of my body ached dimly, but I could feel it healing already.

I closed my eyes and took in a deep cleansing breath. I was finally free again. I exhaled slowly.

"How does the pack feel about me being here?" I asked, not sure that I wanted to know the answer. But, I had to know what I was up against here.

"Better after you saved Phil's life," said Jackson. "They accept that we are mates and most of them are happy for me – for us."

"Most?"

"Well, there are some that have been after my affections for quite some time, they are disappointed," he blushed. "As for the others, I think that they are just worried about having another outbreak of war between our two packs. I don't think anyone holds anything against you personally."

I nodded solemnly.

"And my father? Have you heard from him?"

I wondered if he would have contacted the Merphate pack by now, demanding my release.

"He already contacted us." Jackson ran his hand through his hair. "It is the Truce Month. He said that we have one month to return you to him or it will be cause for war."

I sighed as well. All packs had agreed to leave each other alone for the month of December due to the holidays. It was unanimous and no one broke the rules of the Truce Month without incurring the wrath of all of the packs. They couldn't have picked a better time for my escape.

It also meant that I may only have a month with Jackson.

"Will you return me to him?"

"I don't want to," he said with conviction. I looked into his eyes and smiled sadly. What he meant was that he didn't want to but he would if he had to.

I wanted to stay. I didn't want to go back there. I wanted to flash my bruises at Jackson and tell him how tortured I had been while I was under lock and key in the bedroom I had been raised in. But that would be cruel and pointless.

If I was a worse person, I would hate him. I would hate that he put the needs of his pack before the needs of his own mate. But I am the daughter of an Alpha - have the Alpha blood running through my veins. I admired and loved Jackson more because of his Alpha traits – I couldn't fault him for them.

"So, we have a month at least," I replied, trying to stay optimistic.

"A month," he reiterated and nodded glumly. "I'll think of something, Romy."

I hesitated only a moment before I launched myself into his arms. He stood swiftly, knocking back the chair he had been sitting in to catch me. I was still bare, but I couldn't bring myself to care. I wrapped my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck.

"Romy, what are you doing?" Jackson asked, confusion written across his features.

"I am making the most of our month," I whispered and my mouth descended onto his.

His arms wrapped around to grasp my thighs and hold me up. He returned my kiss fervently. Electricity ran through our bodies like two connecting currents, making my skin tingle and my lips burn. We broke apart only for a moment when Jackson toppled us onto the bed. I shimmied to the top and pulled him along. His lips met mine again and I melted into him, giving into the electrical fire between us.

Jackson's shirt was off in a matter of seconds. He was a bronzed god and I didn't know what I had done to deserve him. I ran my hands down his chest, abs and bare, muscular back up to his shoulders. I couldn't drink in enough of him.

Jackson's hands never stopped. They roamed my body as much as mine did his. We studied each other, memorized each other in a way that no one else could.

"Are you sure you want to do this now?" Jackson asked out of breath.

I didn't want to say it was this or die, because it would be a major mood breaker and I wanted this more than anything. No, insanity and death wouldn't have to be impending for me to want Jackson Merphate.

"More than anything."

And that was all that Jackson needed to hear to save me from death and bond us for life.

-------------------

The next morning I woke with the sun tickling my eyelids. I could feel Jackson's warm arm around my waist and smiled – the first time I can remember being this happy in a long time. I opened my eyes and glanced at my sun-kissed mate. He looked so serene when he was sleeping. The sunlight was shining around his head like a halo and I reached out to touch his cheek.

He had my wrist in his hand before I could reach him. His eyes flashed open and he smirked.

"Like what you see, Princess?"

I blushed crimson and he barked out a laugh. I retracted my hand and pulled the sheet up, giving me some modesty, and moved to get out of the bed. I hadn't scooted very far before he caught me by the waist and pulled me back against him.

"You're not getting away that easily," he said and nuzzled into my neck, letting out a small growl. "I still haven't memorized every freckle on your body."

His breath tickled my neck and I turned around in his arms and shot him a huge smile. He leaned down, presumably to take up where we left off last night, but a knock at the door jostled us both.

"Jackson, Reta sent me up to let you know breakfast is waiting for you. Oh, and Richard wanted me to remind you that it is rude to keep your pack mates waiting to meet your mate," a male voice called out through the door. I could hear the smirk in his voice, even without knowing him.

Jackson responded that we would be right down.

"Who was that?" I asked, getting out of the bed and pulling the sheet with me. I wrapped it around my body like a toga.

"That was Will. He is my Beta," Jackson said. I looked away as he was pulling on his boxer shorts.

"Do I have enough time for a quick shower?" I asked.

Jackson nodded and pointed me towards the en-suite bathroom. I didn't want to keep Jackson's pack waiting and make a bad first impression, so despite wanting to soak up the searing hot water and relax, I took the shortest shower I think I have ever taken in my life. When I hopped out I didn't even bother blow-drying my hair, opting to towel-dry it to the best of my ability instead. I pulled it back into a ponytail.

I found a pair of jeans and a black sweater laying out on the counter top in my size and quickly threw them on. It didn't surprise me. Jackson had planned my escape after all and he had accurately guessed my size on our visit to The Globe a month ago. The jeans fit me like a glove and the sweater had a v-neck that showed off my newly re-established mark.

Jackson was waiting in the bedroom for me. He reached his hand out and took mine.

"Are you ready?" He asked.

I took a deep breath and bobbed my head. He gave me a reassuring grin and led me out the door.

If the members of the Merphate Pack that I was introduced to didn't like or approve of me, they certainly hid it well. There were little over a dozen people sitting in the kitchen when Jackson and I entered. They all immediately stood and introduced themselves and I was overwhelmed trying to remember each of their names. They all seemed genuinely pleased to meet me and happy for Jackson. A couple of the women even engulfed me in a hug.

When the commotion died down, some of the pack excused themselves to return to their family, leaving the rest of us to eat our breakfast.

I officially met Will, Jackson's Beta and the one who had come with him on his rescue mission for me. He was, I also remembered, Phil's son-in-law. Phil was also there and had thanked me over and over for helping him, despite my protests. He was the one who had busted me out and fought of my father's hunters. His daughter (Will's wife) Tess and their daughter Alyssa were also there – even though Alyssa was barely two years old.

Two other members who appeared to be rather close friends to Jackson, considering their friendly bickering, had also stayed.

Bradley was built like a football player and had dark hair and stunning green eyes. He didn't have a formal rank within the pack, but he was a close friend of Jackson's.

Allison was so pretty that I almost burned with jealousy. Her straight blond hair didn't have one strand out of place – and my hair was still frizzy, wet and pulled back into a messy ponytail. Not to mention that she was the Gamma - the third in command. It was almost intimidating how strong and beautiful she was.

But none of that was anything compared to meeting Richard and Reta. Richard was Jackson's Uncle – his father's brother and Reta was his wife. From what I could make out, they had raised Jackson from a very young age. Richard was tall with brown hair and brown eyes. His hair was a little on the long side and he had a bit of a beard. Reta was a little shorter than me with an auburn colour hair and bright blue eyes. Where Richard seemed stern, Reta seemed more motherly.

I knew that both of Jackson's parents had somehow died – considering he was so young and yet the Alpha of his pack I knew something had to have happened to them. I had never asked what though and I knew that the breakfast table wasn't a place to bring it up.

I was sitting between Jackson and Bradley at the table, drinking my orange juice. Bradley's foot beat on the floor in a steady, anxious rhythm.

"Would you stop with the leg?" Allison exclaimed, setting down her fork dramatically. "You have been doing it all morning and it is driving me crazy!"

"I would say I am sorry, but I'm not," he shot back. "The full moon is tomorrow and I am just starting to get jittery is all. I can't believe you aren't."

"The full moon is tomorrow," I repeated, suddenly dawning on me.

"Yeah, well, after what the whole house heard last night I doubt that you are going to be going all mental-ward on us," Bradley chuckled.

I blushed redder than I ever thought possible. Reta said something chastising and Jackson reached passed me and gave him a well-deserved slap in the head.

"Excuse his manners, he doesn't have any," Jackson said, still glaring at Bradley.

"We tried to house train him, but he just kept peeing on the carpet," Will interjected and Tess slapped him playfully on the arm.

"I just meant that I hadn't realized it was so soon," I said. But if I focused, I could feel the pull of the Moon already.

"Well, I hope you are ready for your first Merphate pack run," Bradley said suggestively.

"Stop harassing the poor girl," Reta commanded. "I am sure there is very little between our pack runs and hers. She will just need time to acclimate to a different style of pack."

"Is she going to be changing with all of us?" Bradley asked, wiggling his eyebrows at me.

Jackson slammed down his fork so hard that the table shook. I looked up at him to find him glaring passed me right to Bradley.

"If you don't shut your mouth, I am going to shut it for you," Jackson growled. "Remember that this is my mate you are talking about."

Bradley looked thoroughly chastised and apologized to me under his breath.

"And for you information, no, she isn't going to be changing with anyone yet. We are going to change together and then meet up with the pack on the run."

"You should know that Brad," Will scoffed. "Their wolves need to get acquainted with each other before he introduces her to new ones."

"Well, if you excuse us, we have things to attend to," Jackson said standing up, obviously still pissed off at Bradley.

Allison snorted.

"Try not to break the bed."

Jackson took me by the hand, helping me up. On the way out his foot kicked the back of Allison's chair, causing her to jump.

"Real mature, Alpha Merphate," she said and rolled her eyes.

"Sorry about those guys," Jackson said as he led me through his house back to his room. "They are grossly inappropriate most of the time, but I was hoping that they would at least behave themselves for a little while."

I laughed.

"I am happy they feel comfortable enough around me to be themselves."

"You'll probably regret saying that," he smirked and pulled me into a hug.

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