Alaina POV I’m pretty sure I’m losing my mind! Every couple of days I see Ash. It's usually when I am extremely sad, and seeing him, for the brief moments, has started to bring me some comfort and solace. I have been thinking about my life, how did I end up here? When I left for Spain Fin was amazing, he was THE perfect guy, when I got back, I told him about Ash. I told him we rejected each other, and he seemed so happy. He said that he wanted to give me a little time before we mated and marked each other, and he wanted to give his mate a little extra time, to find him, before he rejected her too. I thought he was being sweet and respectful... but now we can go an entire day, or longer, and he won't call me back, won't come see me, avoids me like the plague. When he is around, or calls, all he wants to know is if I am ready for him to mark and mate me, UM NO! Especially not with how he has been behaving, he still won’t even let me talk about leaving him. Unless I have somewhere else t

Alaina POV “Why can't I go this year?” “Are you seriously asking me that Alaina? After last year? You STILL want to ask me that?! I will never be able to repair the damage that you caused with your little stunt!” “What damage? And what ‘stunt’? The whole me fighting for a little equality and wanting to show those misogynistic pricks that a woman is MORE than capable of taking on a man any day? Is THAT the stunt to which you are referring?” “Yes, Alaina, THAT is ONE of the stunts, and what damage? The council now has a personal vendetta against us. If they even THINK there is a reason to look at as they will, and they will turn over EVERY rock, leaf, and piece of dust to find anything they can charge us with! Did you think about that when you did all this? OR, how about when you attempted to fight Alpha Yu it could have caused a pack war?! How about the fact that now the council knows who you are, WHAT you are? You think that the

  Alaina POV Cheated. He cheated. He found his fated mate and he cheated. He cheated on me, and he cheated on her... with Lochlynn of all people! How? How could someone do that?! How could someone be so callous?! My heart shattered the second I found out. Cal was there for me though, no matter how mad at me he is he is ALWAYS there when I need him! I had been sound asleep, another dream about Janus, when I saw him get attacked from behind and his back ripped open. That’s when I woke up in pain, more pain than I have ever felt in my life! It felt like I was the one being ripped open, the adrenaline coursing through my body was like I was the one being attacked. I couldn’t take it anymore. I went to my dad's office and grabbed the ceremonial dagger, its pure silver, and I stabbed myself, in the lower abdomen. Twice. No more... I can't take any more! The random, very short lived, pain that doesn’t make sense. Cal got to me too fast. I knew he would

August 2005 Fawcett, Canada, Ashton POV I haven’t been myself at all! I haven’t gone back to Scotland since I tried o get on their pack lands, and Cal won’t take my calls at all. The only thing I haven’t done is call Alpha Morgan directly, because how do I explain that? ‘Uh, yeah, I want to talk to your Beta, or daughter?’, ‘the reason? Can’t tell you’… yeah that would work, not. I’m close to doing it though, If I haven’t heard anything by the end of the month I am calling, I don’t care. I haven’t even been able to get into her head through my dreams! The only think I know is that she is still alive, but I haven’t been able to feel anything else, the emotional bond is so void of any emotion that it’s like she doesn’t exist! I have been debating on whether to go to the meeting this year or not, it's supposed to be in three weeks, at the end of the month. I can’t even begin to count the number of meetings Austin, Grant, and I have had about this. It’s at the Kanahā Pack on the Island

I tried to get that out as quietly as possible, but I realized that I failed miserably when I heard a chuckle coming from the bed I just left. “I am so glad that my misery brings you some enjoyment!” At that he lost it. I have to admit, his laugh is contagious, I couldn’t help but laugh along with him. I can make out that he's moving around, then the bedside lamp comes on. “Hurry up, I want a few more hours of sleep, and I sleep better with you.” I just nod, rush into the bathroom and hurry back to bed so I can get back into his warm arms. Running back, and jumping in, like a kid who’s afraid the monsters under the bed will eat my feet, I wind up partially across Ash’s lap. I feel like everything is right and nothing can go wrong when I am wrapped up in his arms. This time, though, I am unable to get to sleep. I lay, relishing in the feeling, and sensation, of being in his arms. Fin and I cuddled, but it never felt like this. I felt safe and warm, but so