|Book 1: Chapter Two|

"Wake up, my little wolf." The voice shook the trees, making Crystal wake up from her slumber. Her head moved to the side first, the grass tickling against her check. She smiled softly at the feeling, making her good hand come and gently rub her face. Her eyes fluttered opened, staring at a flower that was growing. The petals started to bloom, reaching towards the sun rays lighting up the shadows of the trees.

Her ears screamed when she heard the heavy footsteps coming her way. She propped up on her elbows, trying to stand up. She struggled falling down a couple times before she actually she landed on her feet. She wiped the dirt away from her legs. Her head snapped up, staring into the distance. She could smell someone coming closer. She closed her eyes, breathing deeply into the smell. It smelled like something she was robbed of, and she wanted to steal it back.

She opened her eyes again, her legs shaking as she waited. She swallowed, her ears faintly picking up the sounds of hesitating footsteps. She narrowed her eyes, sensing an outline of a broad man. She blinked, tilting her head to the side as he suddenly left her view. She bit her lip, tearing a layer off of it. She tasted iron in her mouth, searching for the man with the scent that she wanted.

Then she froze. She could hear him breathing behind her, inhaling the air. She wondered what he was smelling for. She whipped around, her violet eyes staring into his golden pair. His shoulders were relax and pulled back. His tongue gazed across his full, hydrated lips as he stared at Crystal. He stood, roots holding him back by his ankles. Crystal was frozen too, staring at the man. He had a black pair of shorts, and he was sweating. He looked like he jumped into the river that had a hint of blood drifting with the deadly, bleeding rapids.

He sighed in grace, his eyes adventuring across her body. He could see the dried blood on her forehead, along with her knee and shoulder. He could smell faint scents of wolves on her, but they were almost completely washed away. He blinked, noticing how time was passing by very slowly.

"Hello," his voice came out, low and soft. It made Crystal eyes widen at how the sound made her body tingled with happiness. "Mate." He walked forward, making himself look like prey. He kept his hands in the air, showing he had nothing to harm. With one step, Crystal jumped back, baring her teeth in warning to stay away. She hoped he would keep his distance because she was all bark and no bite.

The man paused, nodding his head. His ears were perked, collecting and processing sounds around them for her well-being. "My name is Lyon." Crystal felt a wave of trust rush over her. She knew this man's name, but that didn't mean that he could be trusted. Lyon didn't seem to want to give her harm, but that doesn't mean he wasn't capable of it. Many men she meet were the same: big, tall, broad, muscular, giant, toned, friendly, evil. He gulped when her eyes drifted around his body. He could clearly smell the fear she had for him, and he softly whined. "Please, Love. I will not lay a hand on you." Carefully, he walked forward, and this time, Crystal stayed put. She unknowing lifted her eyebrow, keeping her eyesight on him. "Easy there," he whispered, filling in the silence. Crystal turned to the side, facing him with her good shoulder. Her eyes flickered to his hands, watching them as his feet crushed against the leaves on the ground.

By turning her body, she forced herself into a defensive position. With each shaking breath that left her lips, her legs shook at her weight, and her knees were ready to buckle. Lyon noticed the way she held herself up, trying to be intimidating towards him. The sides of his lips turned upwards for a moment, his eyes twinkling with pride and joy at how she was still willing to protect herself even though they both knew who would win a fight.

Noticing her hesitation to let down her guard, surprising her, Lyon drop to his knees. He let his eyes roam hers, staring deeply into the royal purple color of her irises. His knees softly hit the ground, surrendering his image and title so the woman he was staring at would come towards him. His breath caught in his throat when he could feel the presence of his pack.

Closing his eyes, his voice strong-willed in his mind, he was quick to told them off. The three wolves bowed their heads and obeyed his command, but they circled the area to protect their high ranked member. Lyon could scent them paddling in the soft layer of dirt. They were keeping eye around them, searching for any threats that may come their way; although, this didn't stop Lyon for checking. He would not risk the life of his mate.

"I'm not going to hurt you. Nobody will." He added, shoving his hands to the ground. He rested his palms into the dirt, his body position like a dog. He crane his neck to see her. He chuckled when he saw her lower herself to the ground. He realized it must have been his power-dominated presence, but she didn't feel any power surfacing against his skin. Rather, she kneeled down, wondering if he was using his body to shield a weapon from her eye or, maybe, it was a quicker way to shift into a wolf.

She stared at him, watching his chest as he breathed. It didn't stutter, unlike some humans did when shifting. Nothing gave any insight of rising the beast from his soul to attack her. In fact, she felt the opposite. Instead of cowering in fear or her flight mechanisms activating, she felt she should bring herself closer to the threat because he would protect her.

She tested him, making sure her gut feeling was correct. She looked around the ground, her mind racing at the thought of this backfiring, at the idea that one of the factors that kept her alive was incorrect. As she was close to the ground, she quickly caught sight of a rock, bigger than a pebble and smaller than a boulder, lying in front of her. She quickly snatched it.

The weight in her body shifted quickly, and she tumbled over. She could see Lyon jerk forward to help her, but after staring at him, he backed away. Lyon wound do anything for her, but the sight he saw from his mate made him step back. Luckily for them, none of them were in current danger of anything. It was like they were alone, other than the fact they had a some backups if this woman was suddenly threatened. His jaw tensed at the thought, and he stared at the ground for a moment too long.

Crystal regained her balance, her hand throbbing as she held the rock. She exhaled, before yanking her arm back. She could feel her muscles contract with the foreign movement, and her arm snapped forward, lunching the rock from her palm and into the air. It spun, nearing the target.

It hit him on the back, closer to his lats. The rock fell to the side, bouncing under his body before landing still, unmoving. Lyon's head snapped, and he quickly jumped up, scanning the area. He looked down at the rock, scenting his mate's touch. Lyon glanced over at her, actually raising an eyebrow in disbelief. He stared at her in awe, not understanding why she would throw a rock at him. He wasn't in any threatening position to attack, and yet, she hit him with a stone.

Crystal gulped, her toes digging into the dirt as she watched him. He didn't even need a second to stand back up, worrying her how fast he could run. She obviously could run quick or she wouldn't had escaped the Alpha and Beta, but he was definitely faster than they were. She felt her spit slide down her throat, trembling down her pipes. He stared at her, and she watched as he moved an eyebrow further up his head, aiming towards his hair line.

"Did... did you throw that?" He asked, his arm moving away from his torso and towards the rock on the ground. His voice slapped through the air, the tone of disbelief and humor hinting into his calm, quiet voice. He waited for an answer, his ears waiting for the sound of pure bliss, but he heard no angels singing. Instead, he was meet with dead silence, just the breathing of her chest rising faster and quicker.

He chuckled softly, continuing till he realized she was coming closer and closer to a panic attack. She couldn't breath, her chest heaving with fear, regret, and even bravery. The world seemed to be spinning, but as it spin, the whooshing sound of being scared blocked her off. Until his words came to her heart, opening her mind and pushing away the fear. "It's actually quiet funny," he joked, taking steps closer. The crunches of the ground flew over both of their heads as they stared, one breathing fine and one still at a fast pace. "I never actually had someone throw a stone at me before. They usually just run away, but you didn't." He beamed, smiling proudly as he added, "You are very strong."

Crystal grimaced, shaking her head at herself. She didn't know what he was doing or even what he was on, but that statement hurt. She felt the words were like a sin. Strong enough to let another die, to kill. She couldn't bare the thought. She wasn't powerful or authoritative. She was dependent, as someone always took care of her and took the hits, and she watched, oddly begging again and again.

Till she begged, they hurt her shield even more. She hadn't spoke a beg again. She spoke nothing, fearing her words would trigger them to attack her defense. She sighed, looking back at Lyon. He was standing in front of her, his body position like a wall. She felt his scent rub onto her, wrapping her into a blanket.

"What is your name?" He whispered, his hand running over her hurt shoulder, trying to check the wound without being so obvious about it. He had known females to get upset over the mate's heated concern, and he really didn't know how she would react to his behavior. After all, she was already jumpy as it is, and the last thing he wanted to do was scare her away, having her run for the hills only to escape him. Her shoulder was dislocated and had also healed incorrectly. Usually, being a shifter, his wolf could heal him quickly and correctly. He stared at Crystal, sensing her wild animal deep inside of her. She wasn't healing her human, from not having enough energy and not being strong enough, never having the chance, or she just wasn't there for the injury.

He knew he shouldn't do any healing alone in the woods. He let his touch linger on her skin before pulling his hand away. Crystal didn't move, her eyes wide as she kept a strong eye on the man's hand. It didn't seem threatening; however, it was focusing on her wacky shoulder. His hand pulled away, and she relaxed just a bit. Her body stared to lean forward, closer to Lyon's.

"Do you need a place to stay?" Crystal slowly nodded her head, answering his question for the first time. She felt safe, like a mother holding her child close to her chest, shielding from any threats. Not that Crystal would know her mother's touch. It was her aunt who had taken care of her. She was safe as long as her aunt was there to protect her family. Lyon gave a single nod, before he showed her both of his hands again. "May I walk you there?" Crystal slowly put her hand in his, giving a little of her trust along with it. Lyon nicely gripped her hand, leading her towards his home. A place where they could grow old together, build a family, and help lead a pack of royal wolves.

Crystal felt lighter as she walked, almost like Lyon was helping her carrying a heavy load against her shoulder. The world no longer pressed down into her, squishing her like a bug. Instead the weight got smaller as her heart and mind opened up more. Her feet carried her for the last time through the unknown woods inside the mark territory of Lyon's pack. Hopefully, for them, this would be there last time going through the forest in a state that left Crystal looking like she had been hurt all her life.

The thought of her being abuse didn't leave Lyon's mind. However, he kept his anger to himself. He had her now, and nobody would touch her like that again. She would no longer be starved or torture. "Do you know where you are?" He asked, his thumb drawing a circular pattern on her sensitive skin. She stared down at their hands, their fingers wrapping around the other. She shrugged her one shoulder. "Well, this is my birth pack. The Pack of Royals." He answered, his chest puffing out. Crystal smiled, finding the image funny. She didn't know what he looked like, compared to other male species, but it was definitely odd. Lyon smiled at her brighten eyes, shinning and putting shame to the sun and moon. "We are close to the castle, Love."

Crystal nodded her head, looking up at seeing the top of a building against the treetops. The shinning exterior was seen clearly as she got closer and closer. It looked like it recently got polished. "Yep," Lyon laughed, chuckling. "It's a lot, but the inside is much more comfy." He gently picked Crystal up, noticing how her feet started to bleed. The iron was quickly the strongest scent in the air, and he needed to get his mate away from danger, which became the ground, and to a place where she could get healed properly, and by a professional, at his pack house with the pack doctor.

Crystal squealed at the sudden movement that lifted her feet from the ground, pressing her body to a firm and toned one. After figuring out what happened, her feet seemed to ache a little, her head hurting, and her eyes closing. The lids covering her eyes forced themselves opened and she tried to remember that she didn't know Lyon. He was just a random man who she meet in the woods. He might not be this nice when she awakes up or even when they are inside the walls of his home pack. Her home pack weren't the nicest, and that could be a reflection of all.

If her home pack and his home pack were the same, then she was headed straight into danger. Her body stiffened, but that didn't stop her eyes from closing. She was surrounded by darkness, but she was living in the moment. She was safe, potentially, with Lyon, and if that only lasted for a couple hours then she was going to have to take it.

Lyon glanced down, seeing his mate's eyes flutter shut. She was resting peacefully in his arms, and he couldn't be happier. Actually, any process with her would make him happier. He hoped that he would get the chance to show her that he could be trusted then he would never break his promise of protecting her.

The wolves that were surrounding them showed themselves. Their eyes staring at the woman. They quickly connected with their Beta, asking question and commenting on how he was paired up with this woman. One even came up to Crystal's bare feet, raw and red, whining it's heart out. Lyon smiled softly, "Get my brother and the doctor ready." His voice was suddenly hard. It strained against his throat as he snarled softly, "Someone is going to pay."

They raced off, their snouts glazing through the wind as they ran. They were quick, having a mission from their Beta Male for their Beta Female. Jumping over logs and running past the other patrol, they disappeared from Lyon's view.

Lyon continue to walk, staring down at Crystal. He could hear her heart beat, beating and calming his nerves of her dying in his arms. She had a cute nose, long eyelashes that kissed her checks, and silver hair that flowed around her face. He leaned over, kissing her hair and nose. His check brushed against her as he rubbed his scent, trying to embed his scent to her and her smell like him. He always wanted to smell like her. He wanted everyone to know that they were mates, two people paired by the Goddess herself.

He carried her, nodding the the three new wolves. He didn't bother in explaining anything as he walked away. He could feel their eyes on him, their eyes perk and body ready if needed for a task. They left, slowly and looking back, having one question in their minds.

Lyon came into the clearing of town. He walked through, everyone parting like the Great Sea. He could hear whispering in the air. "Oh, that poor thing," caught his ears as he past a little bakery. The term of rogues and she-wolf lingered the air, but his body tensed when a little girl whimpered in fear at the woman. She was too young to notice the blood that seemed to be pouring out faster and longer now. "Imagine having the Beta come and save you." Another high-pitch voice caught his ears till one he recognized another one snapping.

"That's enough!" The woman snarled, "Go back to work and to your daily lives." The group scattered, and the woman walked forward. "You know you could have done that easily," she smiled, taking a glance at the woman. She motion him to keep moving, making Lyon roll his eyes.

"Is the doctor ready, Cinder?" He asked, feeling her presence walk beside him.

Cinder laughed, "Of course, he always is. Your brother is waiting too, along with your mother and father. Your younger brothers and sisters are in there too." She laughed, opening the door for him when they reached the main building. "So, this is the Beta Female. She's definitely a warrior."

Lyon nodded, scenting his family and went towards that area. He kissed Crystal's cheek again before nodding the doctor and letting her take her away.