"I heard about what happened," Jeff said, not beating about the bush, and Noah exhaled, pissed.

"Do you have any idea why the late Alpha would do that?" Jeff asked, confused.

No one in the pack expected such a decision from Lockhart. Especially knowing Carol's half-blood history.

"I don't," Noah said weakly and took a seat, then ordered a bottle of beer.

"Didn't you say you have never seen her shift?" Jeff asked.

"How can a wolfless young girl rule the pack?" he muttered with irritation, but Noah immediately signaled to him to keep quiet.

Not many in the pack knew of the fact that Carol didn't have a wolf yet, except for him, his late father, and Paul.

"What do you plan to do?"

"Nothing for now," Noah answered, and Jeff was shocked to hear that.

"You're going to let her be? I heard others are already coveting the position of her mate," Jeff told him, and Noah raised his brow.

"What do you mean?"

"Aren't you aware that she will have to get married as a single lady to stabilize her position?" Jeff replied, and Noah shook his head.

"According to what I gathered, she will have to choose a suitor among our extended family."

Noah frowned as he rubbed his temple slowly.

That had escaped his mind.

He only thought to deal with the issue of not letting Carol take over the throne but forgot that she was still without a mate, especially after he...

"Which brings me to think of this solution," Jeff cut into his thoughts, and Noah could guess where he was driving at.

"Why don't you mark her as your mate now?" he suggested and looked around to be sure no one else heard him.

Noah flared up at his suggestion.

"Have you gone crazy?" he spat.

"What other easy way can you take to get back what originally belongs to you? You are her true mate," Jeff responded, dead serious.

From the beginning, he could never understand why Noah kept this truth hidden from Carol or why he hated her so much.

"I don't think of her in that way," Noah uttered, his eyes grim.

"Really?" Jeff countered.

"Why haven't you rejected her then?" he questioned, but Noah refused to answer.

"If you had rejected her already, then maybe you would have gotten a second mate," he said.

As werewolves, they are only allowed a chance at a true mate twice. But once a mate bond is connected and not rejected for a while, the bond becomes permanent, and no chance is given to find another mate after that.

"Keeping her from getting another chance with someone else is just the right punishment for her," Noah growled lowly.

"You're still upset about the fact that she became your stepsister after sleeping with you?" Jeff asked, his voice teasing.

"Mind your business," Noah responded.

"I will handle the situation in my own way," he said, concentrating on his drink.

Jeff shook his head, not understanding why he wanted to take the hard way instead of the easy path.

He could never understand his obsession with keeping Carol from having another mate.

"Hope you can really do that forever then," Jeff shrugged, raising a toast.

---

"There's a small party for you tonight where you can meet the council," Lisa informed Carol, who was already overwhelmed by the duties in front of her.

"A party? Is it really necessary?" she asked, tired.

"Yes, Alpha. You have to be there, and your brother will also be there," Lisa answered.

Carol's heart skipped a beat hearing Noah's name.

She hadn't seen him for two days, and it seemed to her that he was avoiding her, which was unlike him.

"Okay, I will get prepared in a short while," Carol sighed, and Lisa turned to leave, but she stopped her.

"Do you know a lot about the Shadow Pack? I heard the Alpha is ruthless, and most of the pack members are fugitives," Carol said.

She had been trying to crack her head around what to do to deal with them but couldn't figure out anything good.

"You don't have to deal with the Shadow Pack now. Things are still under control in the pack, but you need to first earn the trust of those who are more powerful," Lisa told her, and Carol nodded in agreement.

"Okay," she said, dropping her pen and standing up from the chair.

"Get me my dress then. I will meet with everyone in a few minutes."

Carol went into her room and found a purple dress lying on the bed. Impressed by how beautiful it looked, she wondered what she would wear when she was crowned in a month, and took off the clothes she was wearing.

"Carol, are you..."

Noah held the door to Carol's room, not bothering to knock, and was stunned to see her naked.

"Ah!"

Carol screamed and quickly grabbed her clothes from the floor to cover her body, but he had already seen her.

"What are you doing?" she yelled at him, but Noah wasn't listening to her.

His eyes were fixed on her body, and he tightened his grip on the doorknob to stop himself from doing something silly.

"I didn't know you were getting dressed," he said to her and turned away.

"Everyone is waiting for you; you shouldn't be late," he told her.

"I understand. I will be there soon," Carol replied and waited for him to leave before letting go of the clothes on her body again.

She exhaled sharply but unrelieved, and quickly got into the new dress.

It was a low-back gown with a strap around the neck.

She put on the high heels Lisa left for her and went out of the room.

Carol's eyes scanned the group of people in the room. She hadn't spoken with many of them before, nor were they on good terms with her.

They were part of the people who called her mother a gold digger when she married Lockhart and looked down on her at every chance.

Seeing that they were actually here to celebrate her as the Alpha made her feel so proud.

Noah brushed past beside her, and Carol's face stiffened. His imposing figure as he stepped in front of her exuded an aura of dominance.

"Why are you looking lost, sister?" he whispered, his piercing eyes seeming to see right through her.

He was undeniably handsome and mean.

"Are you drooling over me?" he said again, and Carol exhaled, coming out of her trance.

"Don't flatter yourself," she replied and rolled her eyes, then made to leave, but Noah pull her back.

"Not so quick. We need to appear as harmonious as ever," he whispered to her again, and Carol held her breath as his face came close.

"Let's go," he said, taking her hand and leading her into the party.

No sooner had they stepped into the middle of the crowd than a number of girls crowded Noah, and Carol lost sight of him.

"Carol," Paul called out to her, and she smiled.

"You look so beautiful. Lockhart would be proud of you," he said and introduced her to the members of the council present.

"Alpha," a few of them mentioned and greeted her with respect.

"Hi, I'm Flynn," Flynn stepped forward in a blue suit and took her hand, then kissed it.

"I have heard a lot about you," Carol told him, and Flynn chuckled.

"What have you heard?"

"Good words only," she told him, and they both laughed.

"Here, have a drink," Flynn said, grabbing a glass for her, and Carol took it gratefully, drinking only a little.

"Sister," Noah joined them, and Flynn's eyes turned a little discomfited.

"Can I have a word?" Noah said, and Carol excused herself.

"Are you here to flirt?" he questioned with a displeased gaze.

Carol wondered how he could see her when he had a lot of ladies buzzing around.

"How is that any of your business?" she retorted, turning to leave, but he grabbed her by the hand and pulled her closer.

"Have you forgotten? I am your guardian," he said sternly.

"And I am to be your Alpha," Carol replied with a snap. Her breath fell on his face, and she heard him inhale.

"I am not going to embarrass you," she told him and shook his hand off, but he held her again.

"Let me go," Carol muttered, but he resisted.

"Noah?"

He was still unwilling to let go, but others were starting to focus their attention on them, so he had to.

"Are you okay?" Lisa hurried to Carol's side as soon as Noah left her side.

"Yes, it was nothing," Carol replied and smiled.

Flynn had already gotten engaged with something else, and Carol stood alone again.

"Carol, right? I had no idea Alpha Lockhart 's stepdaughter is a beauty," someone walked up to Carol, tapping her on the shoulder.

"You are?" Carol asked gently, trying to be polite.

"Anthony, I'm Noah's uncle," he answered with a laugh, and Carol nodded calmly.

"You are so beautiful," he complimented again, and Carol muttered a thank you, feeling a bit uncomfortable by his intense gaze on her.

"Care to take a walk with me? I have something interesting to discuss with you," Anthony said, his gaze still roaming on her body, and he slid his hand behind her back.

"No," Carol whimpered, refusing him, but Anthony went on, acting indifferent.

"Aren't you curious about what I have to say?" He grinned, caressing her back forcefully.

"Don't," Carol said firmly and pulled away, but he suddenly gripped her arm, changing his tone.

"It's your good fortune that I am trying to woo you. You shouldn't be such a dimwit to reject me," he whispered and tried to kiss her, but Carol turned away, and his lips fell on her face.

"Get away from me!" Carol pushed him, her voice raised, and others turned to look.

Anthony immediately let go of her and pointed an accusing finger.

"How can you shamelessly throw yourself at me?!" he shrieked.

"What?!"

A few exclaimed, instantly believing his words.

"You sicko! It was obviously you who touched me!" Carol defended, but a lot of them weren't interested in listening to her.

"Is she already trying to seduce someone? She hasn't even been crowned the Alpha yet," Riki voiced from the crowd, and everyone else whispered.

"Really? I can't believe her."

"No, I wasn't," Carol made another attempt to defend herself, but no one was listening.

Lena, one of the guests, walked up to Carol and rested her hands on her waist.

"I can't believe how shameless you are to seduce a married man," Lena fired, looking really furious, and Anthony immediately held her hand in his.

"Honey, I had no idea she was like that. I only intended to acknowledge her as the new Alpha," he argued, and Carol scoffed in disbelief.

"Your mate is the one who came onto me," she snapped, but Lena wasn't ready to listen and scoffed in response.

"What should we expect from a female Alpha? She is sure trying to sleep her way to power like her mother," she accused loudly, and everyone laughed in mockery.

"Take back your words!"

Carol's eyes turned fierce, and she fumed at Lena, ready to tear off her mouth but restrained herself because of the doubts on everyone's faces.

No one among them truly saw her as their Alpha anyway.

"And if I don't, what will you do?" Lena challenged, ready to fight her but got shoved aside suddenly.

She turned to retaliate but shuddered when she saw Noah.

"I can rip out your tongue for a start," Noah responded and stood next to Carol.

Lena moved backward and stood behind Anthony, who also quivered and tried to give an explanation.

"Noah, you won't believe she came onto me," Anthony said again.

Noah's lips curled in scorn.

"You are not worthy," he sneered.

Carol turned, surprised at his defense, and exhaled slowly.

Lifting his eyes from Anthony, he turned towards the others, his eyes flashing with intensity.

"She is your Alpha. Any act of disrespect will not be tolerated," he said loudly so they could all hear him clearly.

Paul also stood at a distance, watching with satisfaction. He had merely stepped aside to discuss something important with Noah and didn't expect something to happen in that short space.

"Do you understand?"

"Yes!"

They all chorused in response, taken aback to see him defend Carol. If anyone should hate her more than anything in this world, then it should be him.

Everyone turned aside and continued the party while Anthony fumed together with Lena and went away from the party.

"Come with me," Noah said, pulling her along without giving her a choice to refute him.

Carol's eyes flashed with defiance as Noah dragged her further into the house, his grip on her wrist hurting her, but he wasn't paying attention.

"Noah, let go of me!" she protested, trying to wriggle free, but Noah's face was masked with anger, his jaw clenched, and his eyes blazed with fury.

"Are you dumb?" he spat, his voice low and menacing.

Carol's eyes widened with hurt, and she felt a sting from his words.

"No, I'm not," she replied, her voice steady despite the turmoil brewing inside her.

Noah's gaze bore into hers, and she shivered a bit.

"You..."

The equally upset look in her eyes made him pause, and he inhaled her scent without meaning to.

Noah closed his eyes briefly to resist and opened them almost immediately, controlling himself.

But she smelled so good.

"What? Weren't you going to scold me?" Carol snarled, letting out her anger.

"Yes. You should know how to behave and not ridicule my name," he said, his words dripping with disdain.

"Ridicule?" Carol mumbled, her face burning with anger and humiliation.

For a minute, she was grateful he spoke up for her and thought he wasn't like others who judged her without evidence, but it turned out he was only worried about his reputation being dragged in the mud because of her.

"I am so sorry for defending myself against that scumbag uncle of yours," she threw back at him, livid with anger.

Noah took a second to calm down, realizing she had interpreted his words the wrong way and tried to explain but wasn't sure how to make her understand.

His eyes fell on her lips as he made out the next word, and he couldn't help but notice how plump they were, and they were calling out to him.

Noah exhaled as he continued to stare at her in silence, unable to take his eyes off.

He had made sure to keep away and not think of her in that way for the past three years they had lived together under the same roof, always taunting her to keep the desires away.

But in the last six months, that method had become useless and rather seemed to make it more difficult to resist.

Both their even breaths filled the room, and Carol stared back, confused at his sudden silence. But Noah already imagined how her lips would feel on his, and he felt the urge to get that dress off.

Realizing how dangerous his thoughts were, Noah pulled away from a clueless Carol and took a deep exhale.

"Be sure to behave yourself," he said instead and returned to the party without looking back at her.

Carol released the breath she had been holding for a few seconds now and placed a hand over her chest in relief.

She certainly felt the change in Noah but found it unbelievable. He hated her too much to have such thoughts about her. She probably drank too much and mistook his expression.

Carol stepped out to the party as well and ran into Flynn, who was searching for her.

"I heard about what happened earlier," he said.

"Sorry you had to deal with Anthony. He's really a scum," he added, and Carol was grateful there was someone on her side.

"I would like us to meet some other time. Can I have your contact?" he requested, and Carol hesitated.

She had heard of Flynn's reputation as very powerful and ambitious and wasn't sure if it was wise to make friends with him.

Her wandering eyes landed on Noah's, watching her, and Carol called out the digits to Flynn immediately.

Gratefully, the rest of the party went on peacefully, and Carol returned to her room to take off her clothes and get into something comfortable.

Grabbing a cool yellow gown, Carol pulled it on and tried to zip it but couldn't get her hand there. She thought to change out of it but got a knock on her door and paused.

"Come in," she said, turning toward the door and was surprised to see Noah.

He was dressed in different clothes now and seemed tired.

"Do you need me for anything?" she questioned, not concealing the irritation in her tone.

"Hmm," he said and took further steps inside the room.

Carol sighed, worried that there was another issue he wanted to complain about, and used her hand to hold her dress together.

"What for?" she muttered, expecting a lash from him, but his face carried a rare calm expression instead, and he held out a book to her.

Carol took it and saw it was a book on combat training.

"You will start training tomorrow. You need to memorize this book as soon as possible," he explained, and Carol widened her eyes.

"All of it?"

"Yes."

"Tonight?" she queried again, stunned, and flipped through the many pages, forgetting to hold her dress.

"Hold on."

Noah mouthed and swiftly moved to pull the zipper up, taking Carol by surprise.

He moved backward when he was done.

"About earlier..." he began but paused and didn't continue.

"Make sure to study it clearly," he said instead and walked out of the room.

Carol's legs slowly gave way, and she lowered her body onto the bed, staring at the book and pondering on Noah's attitude.

He was unusually gentle.

Still full from the meal at the party, Carol got into bed and thought to read the book for a while before taking a shower but ended up falling asleep while reading it and woke up the next morning with the book resting on her desk.

Not focusing on that, she immediately got into the bathroom and put on clothes suitable for the training, then headed outside the house where Noah was waiting for her, and got into the car with him.

"Did you finish the book?" he asked after a while, and Carol shook her head.

She expected a word from Noah to scold her, but none came, and she wondered why he was still acting strangely.

Maybe he was looking for a better opportunity to upset her.

They soon arrived at the training field, and Carol was surprised to see Flynn.

Exchanging pleasantries, she walked away with him to chat.

Jeff joined them and stared at Noah with a suspicious look.

"I heard Anthony can't be here because he was strangely beaten up by a thief last night," Jeff said, but Noah gave no response, his eyes focused on Carol, who kept smiling at Flynn's words.

"You shouldn't stare at her so much in front of others, or they will misunderstand," Jeff reminded him, and Noah turned his gaze away.

"Why are you here?" Noah questioned, tearing his eyes away from Carol for a second.

"Riki messaged everyone that we should come to training this morning because the Alpha will be joining us for the first time," Jeff answered him, and Noah sighed.

"Okay," he simply muttered and continued to stare at Carol.

She smiled so easily when she was not around him and only showed him a moody face all day long.

"Your eyes are going to create a hole in her head," Jeff reminded him again and called everyone's attention to start training.

"Let's begin now, shall we?" he said.

---

Hearing Jeff's words, Carol became nervous. She actually thought that she would have to train alone with Noah, but seeing others here with them caused her to worry greatly.

Every one of them had their wolf and were strong fighters. It wouldn't take long before they all discovered she had no powers or wolf except her measly healing ability.

"Don't worry, you will spar with me," Noah said as he came closer to her, and Carol was startled.

"Why are you so shocked?"

"I am not," Carol argued and exhaled slowly.

If there was one thing Noah could use to oppose her becoming the Alpha, then it was her wolf-less situation, and now seemed like the perfect opportunity for him to do that.

"Do you think I am trying to harm you?" Noah questioned, reading the look on her face, which Carol tried to conceal.

"No, I thought we were going to be training alone," she told him.

"If you are really going to lead the pack, then you will have to show your ability in front of everyone sooner or later," Noah responded.

"Ah, so you really don't have a grudge concerning me becoming the Alpha?" she asked, folding her arms.

"Why don't I spar with Carol instead?" Flynn cut in, interrupting them, and Noah frowned.

"There is no need, she is with me," Noah rejected on her behalf.

"You are not going to make all the decisions for her, are you?" Flynn retorted and turned to Carol.

"What do you think about us working together?" he asked, stretching forth his hand.

Carol turned slightly to look at Noah, who stared back at her, then looked again at Flynn.

"No thanks, I am not a good fighter," she responded to Flynn, who was disappointed at her answer.

"I will just spar with Noah today," she said and inched closer to Noah, her hand touching his finger.

Flynn gave a chuckle, embarrassed, and nodded before walking away from them to find someone else.

"Are you sure you are not going to regret turning him down?" Noah said, unexpectedly taking Carol's hand in his, and she withdrew it quickly.

"It is safer to spar with someone who knows my secret," she replied to him, and a look of disappointment washed over his face.

"I should help keep your secret safe then. At least, for now," he smirked and grabbed a stick for her.