Savannah closed her mouth with her hands, afraid to even take a single gulp ofbreath. This couldn’t be happening. This was some kind of a sick joke.Or there was another Castiel who her mate could be talking to in the middle ofthe night... However unlikely that sounded.There could be another explanation. There had to be another explanation.“No, that part changes obviously,” Zack went on, “Savannah is my mate, and shewill stay with me. But think of it, Cass. It’s for the best. We agreed that I wouldbecome the Wolf King and rule the werewolves that would remain and it wouldbe so much easier if the lycan princess was my wife. She will be the symbol ofmy power...”Sawy tried not to breathe. She wanted to cry, to scream, to burst into this roomand confront her mate.But she was taught better than this. She was trained. She was prepared.Unfortunately, now her broken heart did not matter anymore. She would have tothink of it later. And maybe it was for the best, because Athena was unsettledinside and she needed to control her better, so that Zack’s wolf wouldn’t senseany distress. She had to play the happy mate part now more than ever.“There will be no need for this,” her mate’s voice sounded firm. “Savannah ismine and we mated today. I will mark her tomorrow and be done with it. Trust me,I can control my mate. You don’t have to worry about it. She won’t be aproblem... No, she will not be a distraction, trust me. The proof is that it’s our firstnight and I am here talking to you. Just deal with your women. You have toomany to worry about. I’ll deal with mine. Savannah will be busy the next fewyears mourning her brother and friends as well as giving birth to my pups...”His every word felt like a slap to her face. How could a mate do this to anothermate? He sounded so cold and calculating... Did he not feel anything for her?Was it even possible?

“Yes,” Zack seemed annoyed, “I will contact them all and let them know whereyou expect them tomorrow. Do you think the redhead will crack by then?”He listened to someone on the phone and Sawy couldn’t hear what Castiel wassaying, no matter how hard she tried. She knew that she would be able to if shegot closer. But then Zack would be able to sense her and she couldn’t risk it.“Yeah, it is lucky that now he will never be able to make that marriage alliancewith the North... No, he has no idea. I think everything will go smoothly and it willbe done tomorrow. Just make sure you kill Gideon in one blow and don’t createany more trouble for us... Fine, I’ll call them now. Bye.”The words echoed in Savannah’s ears again and again.She then heard her mate hanging up and dialling another number and preparedto listen again.“Yeah, hi,” Zack said to someone at the other end of the line, but this was whenshe sensed another werewolf walking from the other end of the corridor andhurried back to their bedroom.Although ‘their’ wasn’t the right word anymore. Life was cruel and Savannahbecame the happiest girl alive and the most broken one in just under twenty-fourhours. She curled in the bed, pretending to sleep and thinking about her options.She needed to get out of this place and preferably do it fast.But before she did that, she wanted to do something else – to find out the namesof the people Zack according to wnat she neara, out sne nad to try.She heard from Reid that Riannon let herself be captured willingly to try and usethat chance to destroy their enemy. And Savannah thought that, as a princess,she owed it to her people and her family to at least try. She was more than just abreeding machine his mate took her for.Tears were treacherously forming in her eyes at the thought of him. But sheforbade herself to cry. She couldn’t give herself away that easily.magic

she heard the sounds of approaching steps and then the creaking of the openingdoor. The scent of her mate overwhelmed her again. He had that muskymasculine scent with a hint of something woody., She loved it so much when theyfirst met a few hours ago. And now it was enveloping around her, tempting her topretend that she did not hear anything, did not know anything.A part of her wished she could. Because deep inside there was this longing forhim.The mattress next to her dipped and in a few moments Zack’s hands werewrapped around her. He brushed his nose and lips gently over her neck andshoulder, inhaling her own scent. And after doing it a few times, he planted a softkiss on her silky skin.That would have been a sweet moment if only he wasn’t a lying scumbag whoplotted to betray them and to kill her brother. Savvy had to channel all her innerstrength not to try and kill him now. She could probably do that. He was awerewolf and she was a royal lycan.Only that then would it be unlikely for her to escape and warn her brother of thebetrayal. She did not know the exact plan yet. It would probably still work withoutZack. So, she couldn’t kill him now. Even though he was breaking her heart.She had been waiting for a mate all her life. For a person who was supposed tolove her unconditionally.But he didn’t. Zack didn’t. He did not even hesitate to use her to his advantage.He did not consider her feelings. And it did not seem to have any kind of remorseabout it. On the contrary, he adapted fast and had already chosen a role for her.Without hesitation. Just like that...“I know you are not sleeping,” he whispered and her whole body tensed as hecupped her breast, chuckling. “Sawy, you are wearing my shirt and when I leftyou, you were naked. Just the way I like it.”

Of course. This was all he needed her for after all. “So, what were you doingwhile I was gone?” he asked, teasing her with his fingers.And she decided to just go with the role he chose for her. This was how he sawher and it had to do. For now.“I went to the bathroom and realised that you were gone,” she pouted her lipsand could feel him smirking at that. “I missed you and decided to put your shirton. Where have you been? You left me all alone...”“I am sorry, my love,” he bit her earlobe gently. “Urgent pack matters. You lookedso tired. I did not want to bother you. But I am all yours now.”His hands started going up and down her body, one of them dangerously low onher thighs.“I am tired,” she tried to whine (something she wasn’t particularly good at).“Tomorrow is a long day and you have already exhausted me. Could you... couldyou just hold me?”Zack chuckled again and stopped his advances, following her request. “Anythingfor you,” he lied, and she felt as if a knife went through her heart. They couldhave been happy. They could have had anything. But they never would...Savannah started to control her breathing to make it seem as if she had fallenasleep. But every timeShe closed her eyes just for a moment, after fighting with herself for most of thenight, and the sunlight was already streaming through the windows. But mostimportantly, Sawy felt something sharp grazing over the sensitive spot on herneck. The realisation that these were Zack’s canines made her flinch and hegrowled in protest.“What’s wrong?” he asked her, turning her to face him. “We are mates, aren’twe? You are mine. I want to mark you, Savannah.”She had to switch on her inner Riannon, running her fingers up his naked chest.

“I want that too, Zack. More than anything,” she bit her lip seductively when shelooked at him and that made him snarl hungrily. “But... I want a markingceremony. As you know, I am a princess and there are rules and traditions.These are very important for lycans. Those things are inherited by us from theolden days. Lycan royals were marking their mates publicly so that there couldnever be rumours about the couple and their children. It’s important to us.”“Then marking ceremony it is,” he agreed with ease. He probably really wantedto be the king if he bought that lie.“We need to get ready,” Savvy sighed with a fake regret in her voice. “Gideonmight find out where Ria is any minute. And we can’t lie in bed naked. We needto be prepared.”“Life is unfair,” the Alpha snorted, but got out of bed after all and went in thedirection of what looked like a bathroom. “Care to join me? I bet we still have afew minutes to spare,” he taunted.“I am not a big fan of quickies,” slipped off her tongue before she bit it. But,luckily, he only let out a little laugh and then closed the door behind him.Savannah decided not to waste time and charged for the bedside table, whereshe noticed his phone. To her disappointment, it was locked and, after a fewattempts with the six digit code, she had to admit that it was useless. So, she putit back and stared at the wall in front of her. There was an almost full-sizedpicture of her mate hanging in a golden frame. What a narcissist.The time went by quickly and she was counting seconds until Zack would comeout after he was done showering.The smile on his portrait was smug and she did not like it.

“Maybe it’s a misunderstanding,” Athena suggested, and Sawy smiled bitterly.She wished it was a misunderstanding. But she knew that it was not. “But he isour mate, we need to at least talk to him,” the wolf suggested.“We will talk when our family is safe,” she cut her off.“But look at his face! Someone like him can’t be...”“Right!” Savvy jumped onto her feet with his phone in her hands and went all theway to the wall, swiping her finger and enabling... face recognition.She had to try different angles, but in the end the phone unlocked.Savannah knew she had seconds to get what she needed and she scrolledthrough the list of the last calls first. Luckily, Zack was very well organised andnext to each name there was also the name of the pack.“Bingo!” she whispered with excitement, but at the last moment a new messageicon appeared and she opened it, her eyes going wide.Zack took his time in the shower as if water could help him wash away the feelingof guilt that his wolf tried to make him feel. But the decisions were made longbefore Savannah. All that he could do nowShe would still be a royal and she would have their kids to love instead of herbrother. Yes, it wasn’t perfect, but it would work. He could tell that she alreadyloved him, the bond made him change his own plans. He was supposed to killher together with Gideon, erase the western royal lycan family once and for all.But the moment he saw her, he knew that he would move mountains to keep her.And while everyone discussed their plans at the impromptu Alpha meeting, hewas making adjustments to his own plan in his mind.He couldn’t sleep even with Savannah by his side and only after talking to hispartner Castiel did he feel at ease. They could both have it all.

He dried himself properly after the shower and walked out of the bathroom not tofind his mate waiting patiently for him on the bed as he had hoped.“Sawy?” he called her, but there was no response. Although, what was he hopingfor? That she was hiding under the bed?Zack got his clothes and started pulling items on one by one, feeling howdistressed his wolfwas.“What is it?” he asked nervously. “Our mate is unhappy. She is far away andgetting further every second!” The reply irked him. There was no way... No way inhell!He quickly scanned the room and saw his phone right where he left it. But just incase, he decided to check. Savy couldn’t know the code...Yet when he checked the messages, everything became clear. The last two werereceived while he was in the bathroom. And they were both already marked asread.One was from King Gideon. But the other... the other could be the end of him ifhe didn’t get his mate back.“My mate Sawanah is gone and is on the run,” Zack mind linked his Beta, “Sendeveryone available. You’ve got to trace and get her back. I am going to. This is alife and death kind of situation. But I would prefer to get Savannah back alive. Ifthere is a chance of that...”He threw the phone away and shifted, jumping out of the window. He had to gether and he had to do it fast.Sawy managed to reach the woods unnoticed in just her mate’s boxers and shirt.There was no point wearing anything else as the moment she was hidden by thebushes, she shifted into her wolf work and ran, ran, ran. But before she even

managed to get far, she heard a howl after a how. Dozens of wolves were afterher now and she sped up.Her wolf, Athena, was a true Alpha warrior and despite of being in pain, sheaccumulated all their energy to save themselves.She had the speed of a lycan as her advantage. But unfortunately, she did notknow where she was. These lands were unknown to her and she didn’t recogniseher surroundings.However, these were minor things now, because here and there she started tosee the glimpses of other wolves. They were getting closer. And she knew thatthere were too many of them for her to handle alone.But she wasn’t going to give up.A grey and white wolf jumped on top of her out of nowhere, knocking her off herfeet. Savannah bared her teeth and ripped his neck out for obstructing her. Theblood sprayed her own fur.And soon she sensed him. Her mate. He was after her too...Two brown wolves attacked her from two different sides. She managed to buryher claws and teeth in one of them, but unfortunately, the other one ripped a partof her side.She winced from pain, but charged at him next, killing him almost instantly. Thenshe finished off the first one and charged in the opposite direction from the howls.She was running for her life now. But not only. She was also running for the livesof everyone she loved.Savannah could feel them with her skin. They were literally inches apart now. Somany of them.../ Would Zack kill her now, knowing that she wasn’t a littleobedient princess? Or would he just hurt her and lock her up? She heard so

many stories about Alphas treating their mates horribly. She’d rather die than beone of them.But in all honesty, she’d prefer to kill him instead.She took one last leap and ended up with her paws in the shallow water. It was asmall river and she decided to cross it.Her pursuers charged right after her, yet suddenly, out of nowhere, three pumasjumped out from the trees on the shore she just walked out on, followed by abeautiful snow leopard.Savannah shifted back to her human form in seconds, falling to her knees andraising her hands. “Asylum!” she screamed, “I, Savannah Stormhold, seekasylum!”She turned to look over her shoulders and realised that there were more than justthree pumas there. There were also several lions and tigers, all of them baringtheir teeth at the wolves.Zack shifted before her eyes, looking at her with a mix of emotions. But fury wasevident on his face.“Sawy, come back!” he called her with an intonation that, before everything shefound out today, she could call gentle and full of love.But she wasn’t buying any of that anymore.“No!” she said firmly and the snow leopard shifter into a young woman with snow-white hair that contrasted with her skin. A part of her skull was shaven while theother was braided into many thin long braids tied together.“I am Alpha Zack Morgan,” her mate spoke, addressing the woman, who wasclearly in charge there. “This is my mate, Savannah. All I want is to get her back.”“She doesn’t look like she wants to go with you,” the white-haired womansmirked.

“It’s just a lovers’quarrel!” Zack insisted, talking as if Sawy wasn’t even there. “I’lltake her home and we’ll fix everything.”“No, we will not!” she stood up from the ground, covering her bleeding side withone hand and clenching the fist of another. She had enough and she wanted toput an end to this. “I, Savannah Stormhold, princess of the West Lycan Kingdomand a member of the Stormhold pack, reject you, Alpha Zack Morgan, as mymate.”“No!” he growled so loudly that flocks of birds flew away from the nearby trees,feeling the predator.“ I do not accept!”She wanted to insist, but the wolves suddenly charged at the werecats and anew fight began. Savvy wanted to join them, but the woman with white hairstopped her.“There is no need,” she said, “They will not be able to come to our land.” It lookedlike it was the truth as more and more huge cats were arriving now. She sawpumas,Savannah realised how lucky she was. The wolves would hardly be able to dealwith all of them, Those were deadly beauties.“Come,” the girl stretched her hand, “You need help and you will get it here. Myname is Cresseida, am the daughter of Alpha Ramina.”“Nice to meet you, Cresseida,” Savvy smiled weakly, “I will never forget yourkindness. And, now, please... It’s very urgent. I need a phone to speak to mybrother...”Gideon was standing and watching at the mansion where his beloved was keptand wishing nothing more than to get her out now. He was about to try andconnect with her via the mind link when his phone rangHis sister’s voice was trembling and he wanted to ask her what was going on.But she stopped him and told him things that he least expected to hear