Interactions between Grant and I became tense over the next few days. I knew he could feel the pull of the bond more strongly now that I had marked him but he was forcing himself not to act on it. I often wondered how much it would take for him to simply give up and give in to the pull, most males would've already had their mates impregnated and marked. I mean, I wasn't particularly prepared for a child but at least formally introducing him to the pack would've been nice. But clearly, he wasn't even ready for that to happen any time soon.

Still, I let him have some space. I won't lie; I became a little more invasive, wanting to know how his days were going or if he needed anything. But I knew that my mark was more than just a scar on his neck. Prior to being marked he would've felt a strong attraction to me, maybe some lust, and the slight need for my companionship. Now, everything was heightened. He wouldn't just want to be around me, he would need to see me. And his urge to mate me should've been damn near irresistible.

Like Greg said, I was far from normal and it wouldn't be right if my mate and the mating process were normal.

If he needed a little time and space after my rash actions then I would try my damnedest to give him a bit of elbow room. To keep myself out of the house I decided to go for a stroll around the pack grounds. Once I had become alpha of the pack I made it my mission to assure my members that their voices were heard and I was not an evil overlord like some alphas. I spoke to children, greeted homemakers, chatted with warriors, and checked in with my omegas.

Today I decided to spend a little more time with my omegas. I suppose that seeing how badly Grant was treated made me a little worried about their wellbeing. Yes, they were at the bottom of the pack but they were still pack members. Their rank didn't mean they weren't people or they weren't important.

The omegas all treated me with wonderful hospitality, the children were all polite and behaved. I made sure none of the homes they lived in were damaged or falling apart and that everyone was content. Even when I stumbled upon the omega that was in charge of training warrior pups everything seemed well. He wasn't their punching bag, he took his role as more of an instructor instead and I could not be more relieved.

Maybe I wasn't the best alpha, and maybe some of my pack members were disappointed that I was not a man, but at least everyone in my pack was treated with dignity.

Hell, even when I came across Karma I gave her a respectful apology and told her a couple lies to convince her that my wolf had gone into a protective mentality over our mate. And Karma accepted my apology with a bright smile even though I knew she could sense my slight hatred for her.

Yes, she was a wonderful she-wolf with the most honest heart and kindest eyes. Yes, to most people she would be damn near impossible to hate. But I knew that everyone wanted her to be a luna. Everyone had been hoping that when my mother was pregnant, with what they assumed was a boy, that the boy would be mated to this pretty girl who already showed signs of a tender luna.

And then I came out as a girl and ruined everything.

Even if it wasn't her fault I would still loathe her, because I might've been an alpha but I was still petty occasionally.

After I had walked my rounds through my pack lands and checked in with almost everyone I figured it was time to shift into my wolf. The last time she had been out was the neck mauling incident. But now Grant was far away and my wolf was more content than she had been in a long time. so once I was in the cover of the trees I shifted.

Being in my wolf form felt lovely. It had been so long since I could hear the birds fluttering in the trees and actually inhale the earthy smell that rose from the dirt and grass. I might've been human more than wolf, but the woods would always be my home. And today, I was going to go exploring.

There was hardly anything around my pack lands; there were no sparkling lakes, no dazzling mountain tops, or oceans nearby. I was living in the middle of nowhere, but that was the perfect place for a wolf to be. Here the other animals frolicked just as freely as us wolves did. I was surrounded by deer, rabbits, moose, bears, coyotes, birds of prey, and foxes. So my wolf raced through the forest, nose to the ground, sniffing out every animal she could. If she lost track of one scent it was simply on to the next.

Once tracking got boring I found a small, less wooded area and rolled onto my back. I felt like a pup and I knew I looked like one but it was so nice just to wiggle and squirm around on the forest floor like I did when I was younger.

After a couple minutes of being silly and such I figured it was time to release my wolf's extra energy and then return home. I had already spent most of my day outside and by the time I would make it back to my house it would be around dinner time anyway. As I pushed my wolf into a sprint and raced along the edge of my border, balancing on the thin line of my territory and open grounds until I reached the center of my pack lands, and finally, my own home.

Right outside my door I hesitated a little. Normally I would be okay with shifting and sauntering around my own home naked until I felt like putting on clothes, but now it was different. Now Grant was in there.

For a split second I considered just walking in there naked anyway. Perhaps it would entice him enough to complete the mating process with me.

But then I remembered being trapped in my heat. I remembered being wrapped in hardly any clothes and begging him to take me. And I certainly remembered his stark rejection of my advances. As much as I hated to admit it, his rejection humiliated and broke me more than I thought was possible.

I wasn't going to let that rejection hurt me twice. So I walked up to the front door of my house and carefully used my mouth to latch on to and twist the door knob. It was difficult, I had to try a couple times, but I eventually got the door open and slowly crept into the mudroom. At this point I could sense that Grant was in the house but I wasn't able to tell where. I assumed he would be tucked in his room like usual.

I found out that I was wrong rather quickly. He was snuggled up on the couch in the living room, watching the television blissfully. Well, until he saw me moving out of the corner of his eye. Then, in a second, he was on his feet and the blankets that had been wrapped around him were discarded on the floor.

"Vienna!" he was beyond shocked by my presence, and he looked terrified too. I figured my last outburst in wolf form had instilled some fear in him. "How did you get in here?"

I couldn't really reply, and I knew I should've kept my distance from him to make him feel more comfortable. But unlike him, I didn't have the greatest restrain and my wolf lowered her large head slightly and gave in to the mating pull by making slow, small steps towards him.

Grant's green eyes flicked around, trying to find an escape route, and when he found none he simply took another way out. he carefully moved him body out of the tense position it was in, and sat down on the sofa. He was trying to act like he wasn't afraid, but also like he didn't want to challenge my wolf because if I had been in an aggressive mental state seeing him standing and sensing his fear would've been enough to set me off.

Yes, my wolf currently had more control than the human part of me, but I knew she wouldn't lash out. Still, I was not prepared for what she did.

When she saw Grant sit down her eyes immediately moved to the open spot on the couch beside him. She didn't even hesitate for a moment. Like a lap dog, she leapt onto the couch right beside her mate and tucked her legs underneath her body.

The human part of me was horrified. I was filthy from my run and now I was splayed out over my expensive leather sofa, but on a more serious note I was acting like a house puppy in front of my mate. I thought I was supposed to be this dominant, proud alpha, and yet here I was with my big head laid in Grant's lap and my tail wagging happily. Soon I would be eating out of a dish on the floor and barking at anyone who rang the doorbell.

I was furious with my wolf and tried to mentally persuade her off of the couch, onto the floor, and maybe, if I was lucky, I would get her up to my bedroom. I tried to over power my wolf's instincts, tried to bribe her with runs, anything.

But then I felt sparks ignite under my skin when a gentle, wary hand brush against the fur on the top of my head. And all of my desperation to get away just died as contentment flooded my body.

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