CLAUDE

TO BE HONEST, I couldn't concentrate on what was being said throughout the conference meeting. A set of eyes lingered on my body, and I tried my hardest to ignore her.

As soon as the meeting ended, I jumped out of my seat, avoiding mingling with the other ranking members, and made my way to the double doors. At the top of the stairs, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I forced myself not to curse.

I turned around and sucked in a breath. The woman, gripping her knees and breathing heavily, looked up at me. She stood to her full height, glaring at me while dangling her nude heels between us.

"I had to embarrass myself in front of everyone downstairs to catch up to you. Why are you running away from me, my mate?"

I could only stare at her. When she reached out and touched my arm, I jumped back as if burned. The tingle where she touched me made it all too real.

"I'm not ready," I blurted out. She frowned, looking at me like I was mad-maybe I was.

"W-what?" she choked, stepping closer. Her scent made my inner wolf wild, but I pushed it down. This wasn't what Iwanted. "Are you going to reject me?"

I took a shaky breath and shook my head. "No-I don't know." I was definitely confused, but one thing was certain: I wasn't attracted to her.

She nodded slowly and stepped back, her eyes glittering with unshared tears under the orange light that filled the hall and i suddenly felt like the worst person to ever exist. "We should talk about... us later," she whispered.

I nodded, trying my best not to show how eager I was to move away from her. "We should," I replied. She forced a smile, and without another word, I made my way to my room. As I unlocked the door, I could still feel her eyes on me.

--

I jointed up from sleep at the should have a loud bang accompanied with that of the rumbling of thunder outside my window. The sound from my door came again and cautiously, I jumped down from the bed and made my way to the door.

I pressed my ear to the door, my left hand on the doorknob and the other with my claws extended. I was in a different pack and I would be damned if I wasn't ready to attack any intruders. "Who's it?" I asked and a soft whimper sounded from the other side of the door.

Taking a deep breath, I finally pulled the door open, jumped back with my claw infront of me. The female-my mate stumbled into the room and I stood there momentarily shocked before shutting the door closed.

"What is wrong?" I asked and she only wrapped her arm around her stomach and hissed. "My stomach... It hurts, I think I'm in-" I took in a deep breath and the delicious smell of.

My eyes wilden and I took a step back as it finally heat me. "You're in heat." I said and she turned her head to me.

"Please help, it hurts."

Fuck. How could I have forgotten that when a female finds her mate, it forces them into heat? I shook my head and turned my back to her. No matter how much my wolf pushed me towards her, I just couldn't do it.

"'m sorry, I can't help," I said, and a sob escaped her lips.

"What kind of man are you! You should want me while 'm in heat. I am your mate...Ahh."

I turned around to see the woman now curled up on the ground. I muttered a silent curse and ran toward her. I took her in my arms, and she wrapped her hands around my neck. "It's... That feels better, but I want more," she whispered, and before I could even blink, her lips were kissing up my neck, and her body pressed closer to mine.

I hoped I would feel something, anything at all, even with the smell of her arousal filling the room and her plump breasts pressing against my chest. But just as I had thought, I still couldn't feel anything.

I wrenched my head back from her and took a shaky breath. I looked down at the female who was in pain. "Why can't you mate with me? Why won't you?" she whispered, but I couldn't tell her the truth. I got up with her in my arms, walked over to the bed, and placed her on it. I licked my bottom lip and finally came to a conclusion.

"I'm sorry, I have to reject you." The woman gasped and tried to roll out of the bed, but I caged her between my arms. "If I reject you now, it might force your heat to come to an end."

"Why! Why would you reject me? Is... is there someone else?" she asked, and I shook my head.

"No, there is no one else," I breathed out,

"but I just can't do this now." Before I could blink, she grabbed my cheeks, rolled us over before I could react, and slammed her lips on mine. It felt like I was frozen in place, and memories of what he did to me came flooding in.

"You like that, don't you, boy? You like when I force my lips on you."

I gasped and pushed her away, my body shaking as all I kept seeing was him. Him. Him.

"Get out." I choked and stumbled out of the bed to the window, wanting some fresh air.

"How is that even possible! You aren't aroused, and I am your mate and in heat." She shouted, and I turned to face her, my jaw clenched with anger.

"Get the hell out of my room!" I yelled at her, and she jumped back like she had been hit by a ton of bricks, but I couldn't bring myself to feel remorse. All I wanted was space.

"You can't tell me to leave. If I leave, you're letting mateless wolves have their way with me."

With my eyes blurred with unshed tears, I made my way to the door and pulled it open. "Fine then, I'll leave." And with that, I shut the door behind me.

CLAUDE

THE COOL AIR against my warm skin was a blissful invitation. I tucked my hands into the pocket of my jeans as I walked down a silent path. I noticed a stone chair in front of me and quickly made my way towards it.

From a distance, a couple was approaching my way. He had his nose pressed into the woman's neck, scent-marking her. I frowned watching them and my heart clenched for what I knew I couldn't have. My phone dinged, and I had half expected a message from my father, but was surprised when it was from an unknown number.

"Dear Tate Frank, your application has been well received and we are glad to let you know that you have been selected to join the Luxemar Yatch as a pet. Click the button below to confirm and the time and location for your pickup will be shown. Link expires in fourty eight hours."

I blinked in confusion, reread the message, and looked at the button to see that the timer was counting down.

Clearly, the message wasn't meant for me since my name wasn't state. My thumb hovered over the green button, curious to see what it would reveal, but the sound of something crashing made me give up. I locked my phone and stood up to see that a man had tripped over a trash can. I shook my head and glanced back at the direction I came from and prayed to God that she was no longer in my room. To my luck, when I did get there, she was no longer in my room, save for the lingering smell of her heat.

---

I laid on my bed and slowly began to drift to sleep, but with a lingering thought at the back of my mind about the weird message I received.

At the first light of the sun, I was already on the road back to the Rising Sun pack, and after five hours of driving, I was seated in front of my father briefing him about the meeting with the Green Tree pack.

The sun was already setting when I entered my room and I took off the black button down shirt I was wearing and undid the button of my grey slacks. My phone dinged and I turned to take it from where I placed it on the bed. It was a notification reminding me that I only had twenty thee more hours before the invitation expires.

---

I stared at the button and I mean I really stared at it. It was like I could hear... As crazy as it may sound, it was like I could hear the whispering into my ears to check what was behind its green walls.

"Oh, fuck it," I muttered and quickly pressed it before I could back out.

"Congratulations! You have been accepted and marked as a human pet," I read and frowned at the word "Pet" again. [This is the information below.]

I scrolled down, reading the information about who this Tate Frank was. When I got to his picture, I had to take a double look because he looked like me. His blonde hair was almost the same shade as mine. His eyes were the only difference between us, and that I was two years older than from the information I was looking at I went back to read the notification. My eyes lingered on two words: Human Pet.

I ran my hand through my hair as the realization hit me. This message was supposed to be for this human Tate. Somehow, and unintended, it got to me and we looked so much alike.

I scoffed at the scam. This was probably a plot to get to my father, just like before-just like five years ago. I closed my eyes as memories of that day began to flood in.

I was on patrol with a few scouts and I had heard something. I could have told them... told the three other scouts with me, but for some reason, I decided to go alone, to prove that I could do things without the drug my father had been giving me for the past nine years... No, I hadn't taken them for the past two weeks and Instead, I trained my body in the gym that I would be a strong beta without it.

As soon as the others were out of sight, I went behind the bushes. I heard a twig and before I could turn, a fist collided with the side of my head...

The last thing I heard was, "Boss, we have him," and everything went black.

I dropped my phone and pressed my hands at the back of my neck trying to get the memory out of my head. He was dead. Alan was. I picked up the... and gritted my teeth. "It can't be him," I mumbled to myself. "And I swear to the gods, if it was..."

I typed in the location where I would be picked up. Address confirmed. It showed, and I moved my eyes from the phone to the wall opposite me where my full-length mirror hung. I stared at my reflection, my eyes bloodshot.

"I will kill him."

CLAUDE

I SAT ACROSS from my father, the room thick with the silence of the lies I was about to spin. He leaned forward, eyes narrowing as he studied me.

"So, you're saying Alpha Landon wants you at this meeting with the Federal werewolves... government officials?" His voice carried doubt, his fingers tapping the edge of the table.

"Yes," I replied, gripping my phone a little tighter.

"And he didn't think to tell me first?" His brow furrowed deeply.

I met his gaze without flinching. "No."

He rubbed his beard-a beard I couldn't seem to grow no matter how hard I tried. "It sounds suspicious."

"We've grown closer since our last meeting at his pack. He said he sees great potential in me as a future Alpha." I spread my hands across the table, forcing myself to relax, or at least appear relaxed. "Don't you think I have potential?"

My father cleared his throat, a faint smile pulling at the corner of his mouth. "Of course, son. This could be a big opportunity for our pack." His tone was clipped, but I took the compliment for what it was. "You've done well."

I nodded, standing up and grabbing my bag. "I'll be off now."

I'd made it halfway to the door when his voice stopped me cold. "Claude-did you remember your medicine? You know what happened last time."

My hand clenched the strap of my bag as I paused. Glancing over my shoulder, I gave him a stiff nod. "How could I forget?"

Three days.

That's how long it had been since I was taken. Chained in this dungeon, my wrists rubbed raw, the cold stone walls pressing against me. Water dripped from the ceiling, echoing in the small space, but the sound of the door unlocking cut through the steady rhythm.

A man, no older than thirty, entered, flanked by two others. His green eyes swept over me, and he strode forward, gripping my chin between rough fingers.

"This is him?" he asked the men behind him, never breaking eye contact with me.

"Yes," one of them confirmed.

As his eyes roamed over me, something shifted deep inside me. I felt different-like something was about to change in ways I couldn't control. And what terrified me most wasn't that change was coming, but that I would be the one to change.

The border loomed ahead of me, a familiar checkpoint between werewolf and human territory. I stepped out of the car, gun tucked into the waistband of my jeans, the weight of my bag heavy on my shoulder. The officers guarding the border nodded after checking my letter of passage, allowing me through without question.

An hour later, I arrived at the spot I'd marked on the map. A white van approached from the distance, and I could feel my pulse quicken, my instincts sharpening. I wasn't sure what I'd expected, but when the van stopped and the door slid open, the stench of humans hit me like a slap.

"Tate?" The man who stepped out squinted at me, glancing down at the tablet in his hand before meeting my eyes. "Tate Frank?"

I forced a smile, lowering my hand away from the gun. "Yeah. That's me."

The man eyed me for a moment before stepping aside to let me in. Four humans were already inside-three women, eyes sharp and curious, and one man who seemed determined to ignore everything around him. I slid into the seat beside a blonde girl who couldn't have been more than twenty.

The door slammed shut behind me, and I could feel the eyes of the others burning into me. The blonde was already staring, a smirk playing on her lips.

"Um... hey. Do you know where they're taking us?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

Her smirk widened, and she let out a small giggle. "Oh, a first-timer."

The others all turned to me, their eyes dancing with something that made my stomach tighten. Heat crept up my neck, and I realized just how little I knew about what was coming next.

She grabbed my arm and leaned in closer, her breath warm against my ear. "They don't reveal the location of the yacht for security reasons, but I heard..." She lowered her voice to a whisper. "It's headed for New York. And lucky for us, we're not that far off."

I nodded, trying to resist the urge to pull away from her touch. Diana seemed nice enough, but being touched by strangers wasn't exactly my favorite thing.

"Anyway, my name's Amelia. What's yours?" She looked at me expectantly, her curiosity genuine. I managed a smile, reminding myself of the fake identity I'd need to use for the next two weeks-assuming this wasn't some elaborate prank. "Tate."

---

Well, fuck me-it was real.

I stood at the loading docks, staring up at the biggest, most expensive-looking yacht I'd ever laid eyes on. It was a sleek, towering hull, its polished white exterior gleaming in the sunlight, with elegant balconies and soft lights accentuating its luxurious design.

"Impressive, huh?" Amelia's voice snapped me back to reality. She smiled, gesturing toward the gleaming vessel. "Wait until you see the inside."

The van that had brought us here was already pulling away. I pulled out my phone, checking the time: just past four.

"How long have you been doing this... pet thing?" I asked, trying to keep my voice casual.

Amelia grinned. "This is my third time. The pay's good. I make over fifty grand each trip."

Her eyes flicked to the phone in my hand. "Just a heads up-they don't allow phones onboard. And you'll be frisked by security, so..." She leaned in, placed her hand on my back and her voice lowering. "If you've got any weapons, now's the time to get rid of them."

My stomach tightened. I glanced around to make sure no one was watching before slipping the gun from my waistband. With a quick flick of my wrist, I tossed it into the water and hurried to catch up with Amelia, gripping the railing of the boarding ramp.

"How did you know?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

She threw a look over her shoulder, eyes gleaming with amusement. "When you got off the bus, your shirt rode up a little." She smirked. "I saw it."

I exhaled sharply, cursing myself for not being more careful.

"Thank you, Amelia," I said, just as she stopped and placed her palm against my chest.

"You don't have to thank me." She leaned in closer, her eyes darkening slightly. "You're a sweet boy... I'd hate to see you go to waste."

Her words made me frown, my mind catching on something unspoken.

With only one person left between us and security, I grabbed her arm, stopping her from moving forward. "What do you mean by that?"

"Just be careful, Tate," she cut me off with a warm smile. "This place can be a fucking dangerous one."

I loosened my grip, and she easily slipped her arm away, moving ahead to stand before the security guard.

"Name?" the guard asked.

"Amelia Reed," she responded smoothly.

It was my turn next. I tightened my hold on my bag as I stepped forward.

"Name?" the man asked, his gaze drifting over me.

"Tate Frank," I said, keeping my voice even.

The guard glanced down at his tablet, then back up at me, his eyes squinting. "It says here you've got brown eyes and glasses," he said, clearing his throat.

I forced a smile. "I'm wearing contacts now."

The guard grunted, glancing at the tablet again before muttering, "Shame. You looked better with the glasses."

I bit back a retort, watching as he took my bag. "You'll get it back after we search it," he said flatly.

Once the check was complete and my phone confiscated, I followed the same path Diana had taken. Her voice drifted to me before I could fully catch sight of her.

"I'm glad you made it, Tate," she said, smiling as she stepped closer. For once, I didn't mind seeing her again.

I took in our surroundings-there were around thirty of us now, gathered on the deck-before turning back to Amelia. "What happens now?"

She raised her left hand, showing me a small block of chains, her smile becoming sharper. "Now, when the clock strikes six and the yacht sets sail... we meet our buyers through that door."