KAELYN

That night, when there's another knock on the door, I can smell a girl on the other side. Not Saara. I'm not surprised, but disappointed.

This time, the girl that comes in brings dinner. It's a lovely steak pot pie with what seems like freshly baked fluffy crust. My stomach gives a great rumble, but I've made my decision. All I have to do is think about my father, and I lose my appetite.

"I'm not hungry," I say.

"But My Lady," the maid says, casting a worried look to the door, "you are commanded to eat."

Perfect. That will take my appetite away for days. That asshole thinks he can "command" me? What a joke.

"He's not my Alpha," I say, "and I am not hungry."

"I'll leave it here anyway, My Lady," the maid says, looking terribly anxious. I feel bad for her, but not bad enough, and I slink back into bed, smiling into the pillow.

The next morning, someone is banging on the door. I walk up to it and smell Lex on the other side.

"Go away," I say, making sure the door is locked. When it is, I walk back to the bed and lay down.

"If you don't open this door right now—"

"I'm not coming near the door if you're on the other side," I say. "I'll let in the maids, but if you're there, you'll get your wish. I'll stay in here forever. By myself. Alone. And take whatever consequences that ensue. As in, I would rather starve than see you."

I wait, listening hard, but never hear a response. An hour later there's a much gentler knock, and sure enough when I scent whoever is on the other side, it's another girl, a different one from last time.

This can't go on forever, Kaelyn, my wolf says. Surely you wouldn't rather starve than simply have a conversation?

And you say you know me, I say to her snidely.

This goes on for days and days.

I never see the same maid twice. So I don't make any friends.

I don't eat. Not once. I do drink water, as I don't truly intend on dying, but I know I can go at least a month without eating.

As the days go on, however, I find that I have no appetite for anything at all. My stomach hurts, and not just with hunger pangs. I miss Aunt Cinda, and, I find, the longer I go without running in the woods, letting me and my wolf free, I think more and more of my father.

It's the most I've ever thought of him since he's died, and I don't have it in me to chase it away with anger and fantasies of revenge. I just lie there and weep. Sometimes it hurts so much I get physically ill.

There is no lonelier spot than when your knees are aching on a cold, tile floor, lying with your head on a toilet seat at 4 AM.

I often don't have anything to heave up except water, but sometimes I'm too weak to make it back to bed.

Kaelyn, Kaelyn, please, this isn't good, my wolf pleads, you're slipping away. Something's wrong. She's been more anxious lately, pacing back and forth like a caged animal, which, I suppose she is. A large wolf in the tiny cage of my withering heart.

Jesus, now I'm starting to sound just like Aunt Cinda. Dramatic, fragile, and frightened.

The maids try and tempt me. Sometimes I think they might actually care, but I know they're nothing but Lex's minions.

That being said, I haven't scented him on the other side of the door since that first day.

"Please, my Lady," one of the maids says as she wakes me up at 1 PM one day. I sleep later and later as the days go on. The girl sits on my bed, and she has a kind face. "Master Lex is beside himself with worry."

I snort into my pillow. "Fat chance," I mumble. I want to say more, but I don't have it in me.

The girl puts her hand on my shoulder. "I brought broth, My Lady. I know you drink water. This is truly just the same thing."

"It's not," I say.

"Please, Master Lex has not slept in days."

"He's a monster and all he cares about is his property, and I'm just his property." I'm too light headed to come up with something more clever . "Thank you, you're very nice, but I'm tired. Let me rest."

I don't know how much later it is, but I hear a terrible banging in my dreams. It's loud and scary and I'm trying to run away.

There's another banging, and I realize this one is in real life.

Any other day, I'd be out from under the covers, crouched in a defensive position.

As it is, I turn over and pull a pillow over my head.

I refuse to get up and unlock the door for whatever angry maid this may be.

BANG!

When I turn back over, I'm staring up into the furious, blue eyes of Lex Steele.

"So this is your plan, hm? To starve yourself to death?" His voice is deep and somehow pulls me more to the surface.

"Go away," I say, I close my eyes. Everything's swimming.

"You think I'm just going to sit out here and let you kill yourself?" Lex says.

"So dramatic. You are a drama. Llama." I start to laugh. Shit, I feel loopy.

"I thought I was a monster." The softness of his tone has me opening my eyes. Lex is looking down at me, his gaze intense. His eyes are the color of a baby blue bird, and he's chewing on the inside of his cheek.

I allow myself to be annoyed at how beautiful he is. But then I zip that thought back up quick as hell.

"You are," I say stubbornly. But it comes out as a soft whisper.

The corner of his mouth lifts and he gives me a crooked smile that has me clenching in places I'd rather not think about.

"Well if that's the case," he says, his voice low and warm, "I might as well be the monster who forces you to eat."

"You can't make—hey!"

Lex leans down and scoops me in his arms, sitting me upright in bed, as easily as he'd move a doll. There's a tray table next to him with a bowl of chicken noodle soup.

My stomach lurches.

Lex reaches over, grabs the bowl of soup and a spoon and turns to face me. He dips the silver spoon in, gets a heaping serving and looks at me, eyebrows raised.

"You really gonna make me do this, Kaelyn?"

I'm leaning back against the headboard. I want to fight him, want to slap the spoon out of his hand. But I can only just lie there.

I can't remember the last time I ate, but it's only been a week. Sure, that's a long time, but I've been on hunting training expeditions where we tracked prey for weeks. My father said it was normal for wolves to sometimes go days or more without eating.

I shouldn't be this weak. But funnily enough, I'm too weak to figure out why.

That being said, when he brings the spoonful of chicken noodle to my mouth, my stomach roils again.

Uh oh.

I stumble out of bed, accidentally spilling the spoonful of soup. "Hey! What the hell!" Lex cries, but his voice cuts off when he sees me haphazardly run to the bathroom. I fall to the floor and make it in time to retch into the toilet.

He's by my side in a flash.

"What's wrong, what's happening, how long have you—"

"The truth is, Lex," I say, when I'm done, wiping my mouth, "is that I hate soup. Especially chicken noodle." This is the truth. I've hated it since Aunt Cinda went through a soup phase right after my dad died. Plus, I want to sink my teeth into my sustenance. Not drink it.

I know that this is more than just me hating soup, but I don't want to think about it, much less have Lex think about it.

"Oh." Lex frowns. "I don't know what to believe anymore. The other day, the maids said you told them you hated the idea of anything but water touching your tongue." He raises an eyebrow. "You seem to just say anything to get your way."

"And?" I say, but it's hard to look smug when you're lying your cheek on a toilet seat.

To my shock, Lex chuckles. But it's over in a second.

"You need to eat, Kaelyn. If you don't later today, I will be forced to have a feeding tube inserted down your throat."

This gets me going. "Absolutely not. You wouldn't dare!"

Lex shrugs. "You have other options too. I come and sit with you for every meal. I don't leave until you put food in your mouth, chew, and then swallow. If need be, I'll put the food in your mouth myself."

"Never."

"Or," Lex shrugs again, "you could just... eat. Yourself. I won't be involved."

"No tubes?" I whisper.

"No tubes," Lex says, voice warm and low. "Do you need help up?"

And I hate it, but yes. Right now, yes. Yes I do. But first—

"Can you get the chicken soup out of here first?"

Lex frowns at me and stands up. I think I catch him muttering something about a "fucking princess," but I hear the door open and shut.

When he comes back, scoops me up, and takes me back to the bedroom, the tray table is gone.

After tucking me into bed again, he sighs. "Alright Princess," he says, "what'll it be? Tube, me, or you being a good girl?"

For some reason I shiver at the way the last words sound in his deep voice. Even if I don't like the idea of obeying him. At all.

"I'll eat," I mutter.

Lex releases a lungful of air, and his shoulders relax. His eyelids flutter, and there's the ghost of a smile on his lips.

"Okay," he says. "Okay." He turns to leave but stops when he puts his hand on the doorknob. "Uh," he pauses, "any requests? Um. For food?"

I'm sagging into the pillow and the soft mattress.

"Bread," I whisper, already half asleep. "The big, soft loaves your mom makes. They're so...good." I've already shut my eyes.

It's silent for so long, I think he's already left. But then I hear his voice, so soft I think I imagine it. "Okay," he says. "Bread. I'll have Hannah make it the way Mom...the way it used to get made."

There's another pause and, again, I think he's left.

"Kaelyn," he whispers. If I wasn't a Were, my hearing wouldn't catch his voice. "I just need to know...who is Sam?"

I breathe a laugh. "No one, Lex," I whisper back. "I made him up. There is no Sam."

"Oh," he says. Even in my half-delirious state, I hear relief in his voice.

A few seconds later, the door shuts with a gentle click, and I know he's gone. I drift into slumber.

There's a moment later, when I hear the door open again. I'm finally getting some decent sleep, and I'm so comfortable, I don't stir. The smell of fresh baked loaves and creamy butter surround me, and I know I'm in for a treat when I wake up.

As I drift back off, I swear I hear Lex's voice.

"Don't bring soup up to her. Ever again. And tell Hannah that chicken soup is off the menu. For good. Keep an eye on her. Let me know if she seems...ill."

It sounds like Lex. The voice is the same. But it's so gentle. So...nice.

That can't be him, can it?

And if it is, what's his game?

What does Lex Steele want with me?