"Dove," a warm voice said, calling me from sleep. I forced my eyes open and blinked in the bright, yellow light. I was still in the truck, wrapped in a warm flannel blanket. The lights in the car had disappeared, but streetlights lit the ground outside. It was dark. "It's time to head inside."

I blinked at the only light in the car, which was a digital clock, showing it was 3 a.m. I nodded and fumbled with my seat belt. My body wanted nothing more than to keep sleeping. I had only slept a few hours. My chest ached, and my limbs were heavy with exhaustion. I went to open the door and managed to hook my frozen hand over the metal bar. I pulled back and pain shot down my arm. My face blushed bright red as I realized that I had whimpered. Pathetic.

I swallowed my pride and turned to my left. "Damien," I whispered. I glanced over my shoulder and realized he was gone. As I looked back, my door opened, and say saw Damien's perky green eyes looking down at me. "Thanks," I said softly and swung my feet to the ground.

I slid off my seat, and my legs started to crumple beneath me. I gasped in panic, trying to catch something and slow my descent. Suddenly, I felt warm, rough hands holding my elbows up. "Got you, dove." He gently guided me back into the seat. He turned sideways and scooped me up. Gosh, he was tall. My face blushed in embarrassment yet again.

"Sorry," I mumbled.

"You have nothing to be sorry about," Damien said. "It's not your fault Leviathan was feeding from you to reanimate."

I blinked up at him. I shook my head, trying to dislodge whatever sleepiness was making Damien's words into mush. "What did you say?" I asked.

"Leviathan. Reanimating," Damien said, closing the car door with his foot. He made the move look effortless, as I was bumbling around.

"Leviathan?" There was the mush again.

Damien smirked down at me. "I'll explain in the morning. For now, let's get settled." He planted a soft kiss on my head, making my body simultaneously tense and flush with pleasure.

He began walking up toward a building, and I glanced up. My jaw went slack. Even in the darkness, I could tell that we were in front of a legitimate castle. It was huge—stone spires poked the sky. Flags hung over the main entrance. The front door had a metal grate that had been pulled up. Behind that were huge wooden doors. All it was missing was a moat.

The wooden door opened, and a burly man stood holding it open. His face had murder written all over it, which shocked me. I thought greeters were supposed to be friendly. Foreboding crept over me. He stared at me, and I quickly diverted eye contact. Surely, we were not invited here.

"Alpha Damien," the man said gruffly. "Back so soon?" Ah. Not a greeter. A guard. While he was distracted talking to Damien, I looked down at the guard again. He was bald, with a neck so thick it was hard to tell where his neck ended, and head began. There were thick muscles running up to his jaw and forehead. A tattoo ran down his neck, but I couldn't make out what it was.

A felt a grumble in Damien's chest. "Yes. Please call Beatrice to escort us to our rooms. I trust they have been prepared?" he asked. Whatever warmth was in his voice before vanished. Goosebumps rippled over my skin. He was dangerous.

The man nodded. Damien then walked up the steps and into the castle. I gaped when I saw the inside. The atrium was huge. The ceiling was three stories up, and glass panels arched into a point down the center. I stared; I could see the stars from inside, some silvery, others blue, and yet others gold.

"You like it?" Damien asked. I nodded in awe.

Two staircases swirled from opposite sides of the room to the center of the second floor. Halls extended down the center and either side.

A woman scurried down the stairs and met us at the front door. As she did, I felt the presence of Eric and Berry behind me. I wanted to reach Berry, grasp her hand. I needed her to tell me this was all going to be alright. Eric kept her close.

"Alpha Damien. Beta Eric, right this way," the woman curtsied. Damien followed her as she climbed back up the huge staircase. Damien matched her pace, as if he wasn't carrying another human in his arms. I marveled at the heavy, dark wood and rich red and purple carpet. It had to be a hundred years old.

At the landing, she led us down the hall and to an open door. I glanced in and saw a huge, ornate bedroom. There was a four-post bed with white linens. A couch was pushed against the back wall with a table nearby. Eric tugged Berry inside. Berry followed skeptically, and finally we made eye contact. Her eyes were worried and dark with exhaustion. She gave me a small smile, and I managed one in return.

Eric gave me a wry smile before glancing both ways down the hall and quickly pulling the door closed. I heard him turn the lock. Then the deadbolt. The woman, who I suppose was Beatrice, led us to the room next door, which was identical. Damien strut in and set me down on the couch. I breathed deeply. I hadn't even moved, and I was exhausted.

Damien left and spoke quietly to Beatrice and then walked back to me. He crouched down in front of me. "I am going to speak with Berry quickly." He gently took one of my purple, frozen hands. "Do they hurt?" he asked.

I nodded. Suddenly, I felt the urge to cry at his tenderness.

He gently turned my hand over and then set it back down on the couch. "Let me see what Berry recommends. I would imagine sleep—that seems to work wonders with you. But if I can scrounge up some painkillers that might help you sleep better. You were pretty restless back at Joshua. Getting those muscles to unlock might take some PT," he mused. With that, he spun out of the room, leaving me seated on the couch. I sank deeper into the cushions. Surely, I wouldn't get scolded for sleeping? It very clearly still night.

As much as my body was demanding sleep, my heart was pounding. I don't know if it was the new environment, the mark radiating heat on my neck, or my hands, but sleep was suddenly elusive. My chest hurt.

I sat up when I heard someone enter the room. Berry. Hope flooded my veins. Damien entered shortly afterward. Berry walked up to me and gently took one of my hands.

"How are you, Naomi?" she said softly.

"Tired," I said honestly.

She smiled softly. She took one of my hands and placed it on my knee. "Can you move it?" she asked.

I slowly extended my fingers maybe a quarter inch and winced. Berry smiled encouragingly.

"They're healing. Sleep as long as you can," she said intently. "If anyone—and I mean anyone," she said, nodding her head back toward Damien, "wakes you up, start shouting and I will personally kick their butt." I sensed slight irritation radiating off Damien, who stood silently behind Berry.

I smiled. She handed me three, small tablets. A familiar situation. I lifted my hand and she dumped them into my palm. I dumped them into my mouth and swallowed them easily.

"They should help you sleep," she said. I nodded.

"Thank you," I said.

She stood up quickly. "Speaking of sleep, I am going to engage with some myself. Sleeping for two," she joked. At first, I thought she was making a joke about sleeping with Eric. But her tone was off. My eyes went wide. Wait.

"You—you're—you're pregnant? Berry?" I stammered.

She smiled quickly and dove in for a hug. I hugged her back fiercely. She wasn't showing, but suddenly I felt ashamed that I didn't ask sooner. How could I have forgotten? The pregnancy tests seemed like eons ago. I had almost died since.

She pulled back, and I saw tears streaming down her face. She smiled through it. "Now get some rest. We can catch up soon." She left.

Damien stood in front of me, hands on his hips. "That's exciting," he said, staring off into space. I nodded numbly. Redwood seemed so far away, yet it had only been a few weeks.

I turned to see someone at the door. Damien followed my eyes.

"Ah! Come in. You can set it here," he said, pointing at a wall with no furniture against it. Beatrice nodded and suddenly there were two men moving a twin sized bed into the room.

"Damien," I called softly. He turned to me. "You didn't have to do that."

His eyebrows went up. "If you aren't sure about mating yet, it is probably best that we don't sleep in the same bed. You are incredibly sexy."

My faced burned hot at his forwardness. Part of my flushed in pleasure while the other was annoyed. "Damien, I mean you didn't need to get another bed. I'm fine with the couch. I've slept on worse."

As realization crossed his face, he burst out into laughter. That did not help my embarrassment—at all.

"Damien, I know my upbringing left some to be desired, but that doesn't mean you should be a jerk," I said in frustration. Here come the tears. He was always going to be the alpha and I was always going to be the pitiful under-omega.

His laughter quieted, but he was still clearly amused. He walked over to the bed and pulled back the covers. Then, he walked over to me and picked me up again. I clenched my teeth in annoyance. He turned and set me onto the bed.

"What happened to not sleeping together?" I asked, a single tear slipping past my defenses.

He smiled and pulled the covers over me. He gently brushed the tear off my cheek. "The bed wasn't for you. It was for me," he said. "I will not fit on the couch."

Oh.

He sat down next to me on the bed. He reached out and brushed my hair behind me ear. "In what world would I make my mate sleep on the couch?" he asked earnestly. "All your life, the world has been against you. Not anymore. I am not like them." I nodded slowly. He smiled and stood up. "Get some rest."

I shuffled down into the covers. The blankets covered my red face. Why had I assumed the worst of him? He had been nothing but kind. After all, he was protecting me from the king. But then why take me from my mate? Why pull the Alpha's Claim?

Tomorrow. Tomorrow I would have all my questions answered. Tonight, I was going to...

Sleep.