Damon.

　　From where I stand, I can hear the screams of my mate as she curses at the guard to put her down. My hands itch to bring her to my room and hold her lovingly, but I know she'll turn away and try to escape again so I hold back and drain out the noise. However, she continues to shout and rain curses and at a point, she directs them at me. The words that fly out of her mouth surprises me and I begin to wonder if something really changed when she left the pack.

　　She was definitely mine but immediately she got back, she decided to leave and to think she did as much as seducing a guard. My heart wrenches at the thought and I fist my arms, hitting it on the bedside table. Carlisle had only got here after being apart from me and all she wanted was to leave. I still can't believe her story about a child kidnap and us not truly being mates, and all I know is that I have to make her stay.

　　But that mindset only brings in a fresh wave of new thoughts. I have done everything I can to make her stay, including drugging her, holding her captive, refusing to give her food or water yet she continues to ignore my pleas. My mother continues to drum the fact that I am being cruel into my head, but I have to make her stay.

　　After staying for more than a decade without a partner, I have to keep her as much as I can. She is the life of my pack, the true Luna and I'm certain that if I convince her for a few more days, she will yield to the pressure and succumb. The thought brings a smile to my lips and I fall back onto the bed.

　　I'm the best Alpha in all the kingdoms and well known for my ability to convince others. Carlisle is my mate and no matter what happens, she'll eventually yield and become mine. All she needs is a little push and I know how to make that happen. As I'm about to fall asleep, a knock sounds at my door. I sit up and usher the person to come in, ready to dismiss my mother if she has come to give me one more reason why my actions are bad.

　　However, it is the guard I sent to place Carlisle in the cell beneath my office and he walks in with a grin on his face. "Alpha, I've placed her in the cell at your request."

　　"Okay, there is no problem. You have done well," I respond and start to dismiss him but a question floats into my mind. I squint my eyes at him and sit forward, placing my arms together. "Did she try to do anything...abnormal?"

　　His eyes widen at the question and I know that he's aware of what I mean. Ever since Carlisle seduced the guard, everyone else was on high alert especially after the punishment I gave him. At first, I didn't want to do it but the fact that he could be so easily seduced by his future Luna was unforgivable. His death served as a lesson to others and when this guard shakes his head repeatedly with a look of fear in his eyes, I know my aim has been achieved.

　　"Okay then. Remember what I told you. No water or food tonight." I dismiss him with a wave of my hand, but he nods and remains standing in front of me. When I focus on him with a curious stare, he raises his hand like he wants to ask a question. However, he drops it immediately and instead bows his head as he scurries out of the room. I frown at his retreating steps and briefly wonder if he is feeling compassion for my mate.

　　However, I dismiss the thought but I'm still unable to focus on anything else aside Carlisle and her plans to leave the pack. The idea continued to rub a sore spot in my mind and, still frustrated at the thought, I moved outside my room and walked briskly till I'm out of the house. Luckily for me, I don't encounter anyone on the way as my mother is busy with her things while my beta is most likely with his mate.

　　I am met by fresh air and I take in a deep breath before I unleash my wolf and allow him to run till we are deep in the forest. The trees we pass are a blur to me and when we reach the center of the forest, I will stop him. Through his eyes, I look around me and realize that no one is in the forest except wild animals. It darkens my spirits and I growl loudly into the distance, sinking my claws into the bark of a tree.

　　It feels so warm against my claws and I do it again, feeling the rush of adrenaline that fuels me. My wolf yips at the idea and I begin to repeatedly claw my limbs through the trees, while my thoughts drown out. The more I do it, the more I can only focus on doing it. To my delight, there is no single idea about Carlisle running through my mind and for once, I feel free.

　　Soon the seconds turn into minutes and all the while, my thoughts run around different things. As I run my claws through the trees, they begin to snap and my head slowly clears. The other things like the welfare of my pack and our security problems began to enter my head and I slowly created solutions and problems to our pressing needs.

　　Still, I am angry about everything that has happened between me and my mate. The recent events are not what I saw in mind when I first laid my eyes on her and I feel disappointed on how things have come out. Carlisle and I were supposed to get married and then raise our little ouos, while taking care of the pack. Yet here I am, forcing her to remain in the pack and be mine.

　　I slash another tree down and when it falls, I grin at it in mild excitement but an animal yelps beside it. I squint my eyes at the squirrel that is staring at my wolf with wide eyes and I reach for it. It tries to bite my limb and run away, but I growl at it and stretch it with my hands. It begins to yell loudly but I only continue to pull it slowly till I hear a bone snap.

　　Unwilling to put it out of its misery, I twist its limbs backward and grin with delight and anticipation as other bones begin to snap and blood rushes down its body. It yells one last time and closes its eyes but I know it's still breathing. The human part of me begins to feel a certain compassion for it, as I suddenly liken it to my mate, but my wolf part isn't so nice.

　　It makes one last stretch and the squirrel snaps into two complete halves, with blood gushing out of all its orifices. I grin at it and slowly begin to walk back towards the pack house.

　　•

　　•

　　Carlisle.

　　A far away noise wakes me up from my deep slumber and I groan in pain. My face feels heavy from where I have been lying on the hard floor and my stomach is rumbling from hunger. I haven't had water nor food since Damon and his guard kept me in this cold cell and even Emerald didn't offer me anything.

　　All she did was to offer me solutions and ideas that did nothing to ease the tension in my veins or the hunger in my body. The fact that she and her son will then say that they care for me and are ready to do anything for me is shocking. I know Damon is aware of the fact that I'm slowly dying and he is also trying to punish me for the incident with the previous guard.

　　A slow hate for him begins to build up inside me but right now, I'm more concerned with the lack of strength in my body. I'm beginning to feel weak from the lack of nutrition and my mind is considering begging Damon, but immediately I dismiss the thought.

　　I have already told them that I would rather die than agree to their wishes, but a part of me knows I'll eventually die if I don't do something. I look around the dark, musty cell and a wave of sadness washes over me. I need to find a way to sustain myself past another day but all I have in this cell is my body and a mind to think of possible solutions.

　　I manage to sit up and place my chin on my hands as I try to think of a solution. Unlike the previous time when a guard was regularly coming to visit me,the new one only comes once to check on me after which he abruptly leaves. I dimly remember the time when I tried to strike a conversation with him but he looked at me with wide eyes and basically ran away.

　　I sigh and push myself towards the edge of the cell as I continue to think about my escape plan. As I'm deep in thought, I began to hear footsteps coming towards my cell and not to my surprise, it is a guard. This is one I have never seen before and it just occurs to me that Damon is purposely switching up the guards to prevent getting me attached to any of them.

　　He moves around the entrance of the cell and squints his eyes at me for a while before he walks away and goes upstairs. I growl lowly at his retreating figure and become annoyed at the departure of light from the cell. I'm still angry at the fact that the cell is designed in such a way that there is only light when someone enters where my cell is.

　　My eye moves to the window and I move to stand up when a sharp glint catches my eye. I turn my face to the glinting object in front of my cell and crawl slowly towards it. I hesitatingly reach out and pick up the object which turns out to be a small knife. I twirl it around and look at it quizzically as I wonder if the guard purposely left it for me. The idea seems unlikely as all of them have been warned not to help me and I'm aware that they are all scared about dying just like the previous guard.

　　That leaves only one option: he forgot it. I reasoned that it must have dropped out of its pocket as he was checking around the cell. My face breaks into a smile and I quickly make good use of it, pushing it first into the chains that are wrapped around my arms. At first, it seems stuck and refuses to budge but I try again while I struggle to create a bit of light with my powers.

　　Luckily, it works this time and soon I feel my hands from the chains. I focus next in the padlock and to my surprise, it is even easier to pick than the chains. As the lock falls open, I mutter a thanks to my aunt who taught me how to pick locks when I was younger. With happiness etched into my face, I shake free of the chains and slowly open up the cell.

　　I move up to the main door of the cell and patiently bid my time. From what I have noticed, the place is left unguarded for about ten minutes and I plan on using that time to make my escape. To my luck, a bell rings in the distance and I listen with glee as the guards positioned at the door walk away. After waiting for a few seconds, I open the door and quietly walk towards the door leading out of the pack house.

　　This time, I'm sure that my escape plan will work and I smile in delight.