Kane's POV

"My mate is wounded," Alexander says within me.

Suddenly, all the strange feelings vanish from my body. Wounded?

"Yes, wounded. She can barely speak right now. We need to help her."

I withdraw from Delilah and she looks down in embarrassment. I need to do something to cover up for my awkward behaviour.

"Since you aren't comfortable with me, Nora will deal with you tomorrow."

Her eyebrows raise slightly in fear. This is not the effect I wanted on her. But it's better than having her think I'm sexually attracted to her. I'm not. And I strongly believe Alexander is confusing empathy for love.

Love is something I've banished from my heart a long time ago. There is no love in this world, just survival and loyalty.

I frown at her before turning around and leaving for my room.

"You should go softly with her if you want her wolf to heal," Alexander says.

"I would like to address this, Alexander. We have no time for unnecessary feelings okay? Don't let Delilah be a distraction," I speak inwardly to Alexander.

"You have found your mate, Kane. Mate with her soon. You're guaranteed strength, a trustworthy partner and immense pleasure... don't you want that?"

"No, Alexander, focus. We need to find out the problem with Delilah and whether she killed those sentinels. There's something mysterious about her."

"Then mate with her already. That way you can connect with her wolf. But go gently the first time, just foreplay and a little teasing would do. She's too weak to handle any vigorous..."

"Alexander!" I scold him.

"I'm only trying to help you. If you want to save Delilah's wolf, you have to connect with her and let her tell you what the issue is. That way, the mind link will be complete, and you can easily read her mind. All her thoughts and secrets will be bare to you."

"And mine? Won't she be able to read mine?" I retort.

"It's not guaranteed since her wolf is weak."

I shake my head and pour myself a drink.

"You cannot avoid this mating, Kane. Once you revive her wolf, the urge between us will be stronger than you can resist."

"Try me," I say to Alexander and drink the full bottle of whiskey. At least this will shut him up for some time. Horny wolf.

The wine takes full effect in minutes, and I doze off in my armchair. The next morning Doctor Rogers and Nora are tending to Delilah when I enter the room.

Delilah tenses on seeing me. Our stares linger before I turn my attention to Doctor Rogers.

"How is her treatment going?"

"We are giving her the second dose of cure blood. We should get all the silver out this evening. Also, we would be monitoring her to see if she still faints."

"Good," I tell Doctor Rogers. I trust him to do a fine job.

I turn my attention back to Delilah. She gives me that uncomfortable glare. Does she think I'm a pervert? Jeez! For crying out loud, I told her I would never want her. I try as much as I can to conceal my anger and turn to face Nora.

"Nora, search Delilah before she starts treatment. And make sure she changes those clothes."

"Yes, Sir," Nora replies and I leave. I have a mission to attend to. When I return I expect the silver gone and her wolf healed. From there we can proceed with our investigations.

On my way to the army house, I meet with my Beta, Ezekiel. Our boots crunch on the rocky grounds as we walk along. After working together for five years, Ezekiel has always proven his loyalty. He is slightly shorter than I am, has brown skin and low-cut hair.

"Exactly how many rogues have escaped?"

"Thirteen. I have men tracking them down already. Two have been found."

"Have you alerted the coast guard? Those rogues must not cross into the city. You know what will happen if they mix among humans."

We move to the operations room and straight to the tracking device. It picks up heat signatures from the borderline and the alarm starts to beep.

"One rogue has crossed the line. Get three hunters ready, and we'll move out in five minutes!" I hastily give the command.

"Yes, Sir!" Ezekiel replies and rushes away. He picks out three of our best hunters. We take one of the fast cars and zoom off to the coastline.

The coast guard already has its men searching the woods. Two of the hunters follow them and one follows me and Ezekiel. The rogue shouldn't have gotten far. We lose its signal on the tracking device but the hunter has already picked up a scent.

We move cautiously as we approach the road leading into the city. A toll gate blocks it midway and three human officers stand guard.

"Wait," I tell Ezekiel and the hunter, John. An open-back van approaches the toll gate.

"He's in there," John whispers to me and I nod.

We retreat and stay behind a bush to watch. One of the officers comes around to the back of the van and checks it.

"Whoa! There's a freaking wolf here!" The officer shouts.

Immediately, the rogue jumps out of the van.

"Code red?" Ezekiel asks as the rogue attacks the men.

I shake my head in reply. "Wait."

We quietly watch as the men shoot at the rogue. One has a machine gun with him. He brings it out and finishes off the rogue in a round of shots.

The brown wolf is now lying lifeless on the ground partially out of sight. We listen to the men's conversation about the incident. They think it's a normal wolf and want to file a complaint about the attack. They have no idea of werewolves. Good.

"Let's go," I say to Ezekiel and John.

We capture nine out of the ten remaining rogues. The coast guard continues searching for the last one, and we head back to base.

On reaching the alpha quarters, I freshen up and head straight to Delilah's room. Doctor Rogers and Nora are still here. More medical equipment has been put in place. Beeping sounds echo through the room from the monitor. Delilah lies still on the bed. At first glance, I can tell that she's weak.

"Why doesn't she look better?" I ask them.

"We got all the silver out of her system and she developed bradycardia. We have tried giving her medications and are watching her for any improvements." Doctor Rogers tells me.

Delilah has changed her dress and is now wearing a blue flowery gown.

"Nora, was she hiding anything in her previous clothes?"

Nora shakes her head. "No sir."

I leave them shortly after. At midnight, I check on Delilah again through the CCTV. She needs to heal fast so I can get this investigation on the way. My curiosity can't let me sleep. I'm personally invested in this case.

"A mate bond will make your work easier. You should be happy she is your mate. She is one hot girl..."

"Not now, Alexander." I shun my wolf.

"If you don't do this, you'd have to involve the oracle. And there's no way she won't tell the Ultima."

A sigh escapes my lips. Alexander is right. I need to figure a way out of this before it's too late. Delilah looks too frail already.

"If she falls into another 6 months coma, you won't be able to mind link with her," Alexander says.

I don't understand why he's trying to put me under pressure. Does he want her so bad?

The light in Delilah's room begins to flicker. I'm sure there's nothing wrong with the electricity. Next thing Delilah starts shaking vigorously in the bed.

Immediately, I rush straight to her room in a flash. Everywhere has gone berserk. The monitor connected to her beats rapidly. The lighting gets dim for one second and becomes bright again the next second. The room suddenly gets heated. Delilah continues to shake vigorously on the bed. Part of the bedsheets starts to burn.

I touch her body, scared that she's burning up but she's ice cold. Doctor Rogers needs to be here.

"No! Kiss her," Alexander says. "Form that connection, quick!" He adds impatiently.

"But she's probably convulsing!" I argue.

"Damn it! Do you want her to enter a coma? This is the only chance you have. Kiss her, now!"

My breathing comes out heavy as I look down at Delilah still shaking in bed. I put my two hands on the sides of her head and lower my lips to meet hers.

She's shaking so I deepen the kiss to maintain it. Her lips are cold in my mouth, but I continue the kiss anyway.

Placing my hand on her cheek, I try to keep her steady. A minute passes and I continue to kiss her with the passion I have for the investigation on her.

Slowly, her body relaxes and the beeping of the monitor slows down. The heat in the room subsides but her body is still cold. I withdraw from her and she opens her eyes. Alexander was right.

Our faces are just inches apart and I expect her to freak out. Instead, she pulls me in and claims my lips in a kiss.

In a matter of seconds, our tongues are dancing to a sweet rhythm.

"Mate..." A wolf purrs. The voice is soft and feminine. It's definitely not Alexander's. That means it's coming from Delilah's wolf.

My eyes shoot open in realisation. I break the kiss and look into her eyes. She's still weak, like her wolf.

"Don't stop, please. I need you for strength," her wolf speaks again. Her voice is so tempting.

If making love to Delilah would build her wolf's strength, then I'm down for it. I close up the gap between us and kiss her deeply.

Kane's POV

Either Delilah must be a virgin or she's incredibly weak to match my energy. Still, I kiss her. I kiss the hell out of her because I don't want her to die. Even if it means having sex with her, I will. She needs to be alive. I need to find out why she's immune to my powers, why the Ultima wants her dead, and what makes her so special.

I hold up her face to mine to avoid our mouths slipping from each other. She is barely able to hold up her head but I give her the support she needs and kiss her slowly. Softly. I don't stop. With my other hand, I trace down her shoulders and hold her hand. It's freaking cold, like ice.

I separate my lips from hers and look into her eyes. They trail down to my lips.

"More..." the soft voice of her wolf calls to me again.

I need to switch things up. I need to make her feel me as much as she can in this state. But how do you make love to an almost unconscious woman?

My eyes immediately move down to her legs. The previous night she woke up when I touched her. Maybe, just maybe, she will be more responsive if I roam my hands all over her active spots.

Her dress is low cut and a bit big so there's enough allowance for me to slide my hands underneath her skirt. My fingers softly draw lines over her thigh. I use my thumb to graze the lining of her panties and gently spread her legs apart.

Moving the silk fabric of her panties aside, I feel over her vulva and slightly deep my finger into her entrance. There's no response at all. I'm not a pro at these things but her walls are supposed to clench over my fingers or something.

She weakly watches me as I slowly enter her for the first time. If she keeps up like this then there's certainly going to be more. And I won't be stopping anytime soon.

I slide her panties down and slowly move my middle finger in and out of her. My thumb rubs over her clitoris, softly at first, then with more pressure. I go slowly and use my two hands. One continues to move in and out of her, and the second rubs her clit in circles.

Her leg twitches five minutes in and a look of hope lights up my face. I increase my pace, rubbing faster, stroking deeper. Her leg twitches again and a moan escapes her lips. This is the first sound she's making. I continue working on her, now, even faster than before and I feel her getting warm around my fingers. She moans, louder than before and shifts her head. Her hand presses into the bed and I feel her legs stiffen. Yet I continue. She's not there yet. I want her to be full of life.

A groan escapes her lips as I put two fingers in this time. She shoots her eyes open and another moan escapes her lips as her legs begin to shake on the bed. She draws her legs together. Quickly, I withdraw my fingers which are now covered with her liquid.

Her body stirs in bed and she continues to moan and whimper. People will hear the sound and begin to wonder what is happening. I reach up and cover her mouth with mine to reduce the sound of her moans.

This time, our kiss doesn't feel one-sided as she matches my energy. Our tongues play together and she turns to me, trying to connect our bodies. I withdraw from her and her breath comes out heavy with need.

Our eyes meet and we hold each other's gaze. Just the previous night, she panicked when I touched her dress. But today, I've gotten inside of her. I almost laugh at the thought.

Standing up erect, I continue looking at her. She watches me as if expecting more. What do I say to her in this moment? Does she really want more? No, I won't indulge her. I did this only to save her life.

"Try to stay warm," I tell her and leave the room, closing the door with a click.

I try not to think much about what happened. On reaching my room, I wash my hands and sit in my armchair to have a drink. Try to stay warm? Why on earth did I tell her that after our make-out session? Maybe it's because it wasn't a make-out session. I was only trying to save her life.

"Sure?" Alexander says within me.

"What do you mean? And where were you when everything was happening?" I asked him inwardly.

"I was letting you and Delilah have your moment. Next time, she and I will do our thing. You know, make things more rough... more beastly..."

I grimace at Alexander's words.

He laughs. "It took you a full seven minutes to get a single moan from her."

"She's a virgin! She was half-conscious! Weak! What did you expect?"

"Some more action. You need to handle strong women like that a little harder. You know what I mean..."

I close my eyes to try and get Alexander's words out of my head. Sadly, he's tied to my subconscious.

"Next time, I will handle things."

"There will be no next time!" I speak outwardly.

Alexander laughs. "Tell me you don't want to jiggle those breasts she keeps hidden underneath her clothes. You're not curious to explore her upper half too?"

"Alex!" I groan and he laughs.

"You call her a virgin, but I bet you're worse than her. Stop acting so tough and allow me to teach you some of my tricks. It comes from ancient knowledge, you know. Do it, and you'd have her vibrating while she screams out your name. Make use of that big co-"

"Shut up!" I shout, and my voice overpowers every other noise in the room.

Without waiting for a second more, I take the bottle of wine to my mouth and drink until I can't hear Alex anymore. Good riddance.

I climb up to my bed to sleep and images of my fingers digging in and out of Delilah fill my mind. Turning in my bed, I try to banish the thoughts but they only become worse. A strange feeling creeps over my body, and when I sleep, I have the naughtiest dream.

Delilah's POV

I wake up wanting more of his touch. This is what I've always longed for, this connection, this feeling, overwhelming, coursing through my body like an uncontrollable wave. Now all I can think of, is General Kane. I've lost all focus on everything else, including the sickness they say I have.

Nora trips over a metal container on the floor, and it draws my attention back to her and Dr Rogers in the room.

Just one night with him and now he's all I can think of. All my life, I thought I'd never meet my mate; I thought my wolf was gone. But she's here and he's here. It's like all my dreams came through in one single day.

The mate bond heightens my senses and I'm aware of General Kane more than ever. It's strange because I've never thought of him in such a manner. I never even dreamed I would be this close to him, this connected. It frightens me to some extent. I mean, this is General Kane we're talking about, the executioner. He is unflinchingly ruthless, and how he touched me yesterday, though sweet, had some underlying detachment in it. A crease forms on my forehead. Does he hate me? This would only mean trouble.

"Anything the matter, Delilah?" Nora asks, noticing my frown. She has been more caring lately. I've also gotten used to her.

I open my mouth to ask her about General Kane but end up shaking my head instead.

The doctor continues with my treatment. Throughout, I wait expectantly for General Kane but he doesn't show up. When Doctor Rogers and Nora leave, I walk over to the windows and look outside. General Kane is with a group of sentinels, training them under the afternoon sun.

He stands aside, watching and giving orders while someone else moves around the sentinels, correcting their moves and repositioning them.

Just recently all I felt for him was fear. Now I'm not only scared but curious. Of all persons the moon goddess could designate for me, it's the right-hand man of the Ultima? Why?

General Kane turns around and looks in the direction of my window. I'm not sure if he can see me right now, but his gaze causes heat to spread over my body. How can one hold so much power? His gaze always made me shrink in fear, but this time it's different. A feeling takes over my whole being. Want? Need? Curiosity? They attack me all at once.

I take a step back and he looks away. I do not see him again for the next few days. As much as I try, I can't help the curiosity that consumes me. Why was he staying away? Why did he not want to meet me? Was he rejecting me already?

On the third night of not getting any sign of General Kane, I start to become restless. I can't sleep. Why is he keeping away after awakening this fire in me?

I hold the bed sheet tightly over my chest as I stare into the darkness of the room. Memories of General Kane's touch fill my mind. I can still see him sitting there, filling me with a joy I've never felt in my life.

I want to feel more than his fingers inside of me. My whole body aches for his touch, what he could do to my soul if he made love to me. His touch brought me back to life. His kiss revived my wolf. He was my antidote, the relief to my pain. Yet, tears brim in my eyes when I think of him. This is what I get for having a War general as my mate. It's a sweetness mixed with pain. A blessing that slaps me right in the face.

Of course, he has rejected me. He won't want anything to do with me. I will weaken his powers. I will only be a liability to him. But I find it hard to stop thinking about him. I want him to touch me, to take me to his bed and complete what he started.

I need to get better so I can meet him. I'm frightened by his kind of personality. But I can't back down until I get him to quench this flame.

Thankfully, Doctor Rogers is skilful enough to get me on my feet in no time. Staying locked in this room is torture. For over a week, I haven't been out in the sun or enjoyed fresh air. Back at Silver Crest, I was at least allowed to roam free, not locked away.

Doctor Rogers said today is my last day of treatment. He walks into my room with Nora following behind. Their faces reveal the same blank expression they carry whenever they come around.

I sit up on my bed as Doctor Rogers approaches me. "Good morning, Delilah."

"Good morning, Doctor," I tell him and watch closely as he checks my vitals.

"Silver is completely cleared from your system and you are strong enough to leave this bed."

"And this room?" I ask with my eyebrows raised.

Doctor Rogers and Nora exchange knowing glances but don't answer my question.

"Don't tell me you want to keep me in here. For how long? I need to leave this place for my own sanity. It's even beginning to smell like a hospital." I complain. Still, no one replies. "Nora?"

She stops packing up the medical tools on the table and turns to me. "General Kane will decide when you will leave. For now, just wait for him."

Right. Wait for him. Like that's not what I've been doing for the past four days. I can't even protest. I can't tell the war general what to do. Even getting him to notice me as his mate has been hard enough.

I reflect on what happened four nights ago. Was he just using me to satisfy his guilty pleasures? Was he touching me because I was weak and couldn't fight against him? No, it can't be. Everything was just so confusing and my questions keep multiplying each day.

"I need to get out of here," I say, standing up from the bed.

"Delilah, please wait. The General will decide."

"Nora, I need to leave. He doesn't even want to see me. He doesn't care."

"Delilah!" Nora scolds, as I walk to the door.

"What?" I shout back at her. "Do I stay here forever?"

Nora is about to say something else when her phone rings. A frown dominates her face as she picks it up and places it on her ear.

"General?" she says, and my eyes light up. "Yes, Sir."

She drops the call and looks at me. "The general wants to see you in his study."

My heart drops in my chest. This is it.