"You and your wolf have the same personality, Baby." The only difference between a person and their wolf is that the wolf side expresses itself more than the human side." Xavier informs me.

So everything my wolf says is something I would say.

"That's exactly right." Idiot drugs.

"Are you wearing any hair gel?" I inquire about quieting my beast.

"No. "Do you like being tickled?"

"No," my voice blends with my wolf's as we answer the inquiry too quickly. Xavier lifts an eyebrow before teasing my sides with his fingers.

Xavier's fingers continue to glide along my ribcage and belly button. His and my giggles are the only sounds in the room. There's no way he's not ticklish, so I move my hand to his neck and tickle him. "You aren't ticklish." With a frown, I say.

"I'm not," you say, "but you are." When he returns to tickle me, my frown immediately turns into a smile.

Looking at me, he replies, "You should smile more." My cheeks become hot, and I cover them with my hands. Xavier pulls his hands away from my face and pushes his lips against mine.

It takes some time for me to grasp the situation, but I eventually return the kiss. My lips brush up against his, and I follow his lead-

Ding, ding, ding!

As the doorbell rings, Xavier groans in frustration. "That has to be Brad," he mutters as he pulls away. He groans once again as he looks at the bedroom door.

When I hesitate to leave the bed, he asks, "What's wrong?"

"What if he doesn't like me?" he wonders.

"Brad likes almost everybody, plus you're his sister."

"But I don't remember anything about him, and he might get mad at me."

"He's not going to get angry, so let's get out of here before he steals the fridge." Xavier assists me in positioning my crutches and walks downstairs with me.

"Where's Charisse?" Brad inquires.

"She's right over here," Xavier says as he steps to the side. I do the same, half-hiding behind him.

Brad frowns, and I stare up at him, terrified. He's one inch shorter than Xavier but still taller than 6'0. "Hi," I say hello quietly.

"Hi."

We enter the living room and take a seat on the couches. Xavier places me on his lap, and Brad sits across from us. "You have no idea how long I've been looking for you," he replies with a smile.

"You looked for me?"

"Our parents, too," he laments. I'm interested in what he's saying but don't ask any questions.

"What's inside the bag?" Xavier inquires as he examines Brad's backpack.

"Videos and candy." I pay more attention when candy is mentioned. Candy.

Xavier carefully lifts me from his lap, places me on the couch, and rises. "Sweetheart, I'm just going to the kitchen." "I'll be right back," he adds as he turns around.

I grab a cushion nearby and hug it. "I'm hoping these videos bring back some memories."

I nod and observe Brad as he slides a disc into the media player. "This was when I was eight, and you were four," he says as he presses the play button.

The video is set in a bedroom with three children. "Is that you, Xavier?" I inquire, my gaze fixed on the two boys on television.

"You and me both."

Little Brad and Xavier are enjoying a video game while munching on food. The girl who claims to be me is gently tiptoeing towards the snacks, trailed by a bag of marshmallows. When she trips, the toddler version of me says, "Hi."

Both boys set their controllers down and turn around. Brad inquires, "Why are you here?"

"Can I have some candy?" I inquired while seated Indian-style.

"I've brought you some marshmallows," I add, showing the fluff bag.

"Deal." Xavier and Brad promptly bring me a pouch of sour worms in exchange for the marshmallows.

Pause.

"Do you remember that?" Brad inquires.

"No."

"Not even the candy part?" My head shakes. "Do you have any questions you'd like answered?"

'Ooh, ooh, ask if he uses conditioner,' offers my wolf.

'No. That's bizarre.'

"H-how'd I get to a different pack?" I ask. How did I wind myself in the clutches of Red Stone if I was born and raised in Lunar Blood territory?

"You were abducted. A pack of wolves broke past the border where we spent the weekend. They invaded the neighborhood and seized prisoners; you were the only one who couldn't flee," he adds, running his hand through his hair.

I was kidnapped. My family did not sell me, despite what everyone said.

"Who in the hell told you that?!?" Brad snarls. The side effects are still present.

"My old rucksack," I respond, cringing at his loud voice.

"What's going on?" In an instant, Xavier is by my side.

"Charisse's old pack fucking told her she'd been sold to them!" Sold."

"Is this true?" I nod and go away from the two irate males. They have clenched fists and commanding postures. I don't know the big deal about being sold to another pack; isn't that the same as adoption?

"Sweetheart, when a wolf is sold to another pack, they're sold as a slave," Xavier explains that he's noticed how I'm slowly moving away from him and Brad. He moves towards me, and I automatically flinch. My wolf growls at my actions and tells me to approach our mate more closely.

"Are they the ones who have starved you?" Brad asks more calmly.

I nod, my heart pounding louder with each passing second. "Don't believe anything those cretins told you," he commands.

"Wait right here." Xavier kisses my forehead and exits the room hurriedly.

I only need seven crashing sounds to know he's breaking something.

Charisse's POV

Grrrrrrrr. 'Shift, I could open it for you,' says my wolf.

I keep pulling the bag of chips but never open it. I hand the bag to Brad and watch as he easily unlocks it. "Try to finish this," he adds as he leads me to the game room, where Xavier awaits us.

They pushed me to eat something earlier and are now attempting to persuade me to snack. While sitting on the couch, Brad laughs, "You're about to see me kick Xavier's ass at Halo."

I was ready to do the same thing as my brother and sit next to him, but Xavier let out a low growl and pulled me towards him instead. "Eat," he grumbles, sitting crisscross with his legs on the outside of mine.

I curl up against him, looking up at him, and insert the smallest potato chip I can find in my lips. It feels good to be fed and cared for, finally. Xavier and Brad have yet to hit me; all I have to do is do as they say and hope they don't turn out to be like the men in the Blue Stone Pack.

Xavier's arms are squarely in front of me, clutching the X-Box controller and wrapping his arms around my body. Looking up, I notice his lips are slightly apart, and his tongue protrudes slightly. 'Does that imply he desires a chip?'My wolf inquires.

I grab a potato chip from the medium-sized bag and place it in his mouth. "Why'd you do that?" he wonders as he chews on the chip. Was that anything I should have done?

"Y-your tongue was sticking out," I say quietly.

I watch him and Brad play for a bit, occasionally nibbling on a potato chip. "You barely ate."

"I'm not hungry."

He and Brad exchange glances but don't say anything else. I'm quite aware I'm underweight and have been trying to eat. It's only that I've gone years without eating and been considered overweight.

Brad inquires, "Charisse, do you have any hobbies?"

I sigh.

"Favourite color?"

I sigh.

"You don't talk much, do you?"

As I shake my head, Xavier laughs. "You two are opposites, and I wish Brad would stop talking."

I shift my weight and wrap my arms around myself. It's quite cold. The sleeves on the shirt Xavier allowed me to wear practically reach my elbows, and the boxers extend past mid-thigh. It's still freezing outside.

For warmth, I lean back and put my head against Xavier. It was quite cold. "Are you OK, baby? You're trembling."

"Y-yeah." I stammer. He pauses the game and grabs a lovely blanket to put around me.

"Thank you," I respond, extending one foot.

Brad laughs, "You're still the same." "You always slept with one foot outside of the blanket."

"How tall are you?" I inquire at random.

"I'm 6'0," he says.

"You're tall."

"I'm 6'1," Xavier exclaims.

"And you're a little taller."

"That's what I was thinking," he mumbles, tenderly caressing my cheek. I burst out laughing.

"No!" Brad yells, hurling a pillow at Xavier. He does, however, take care to shoot away from me. "No PDA. No lips on lips or lips on anything in front of me!"

He shakes as he says, "Nasty."

When Brad notices me laughing, he teases, "Ha, Charisse thinks I'm funnier than you."

"No, she doesn't," Xavier says flatly.

"Then explain to her that she stopped laughing when you started talking."

All eyes are now on me. "Charisse, why'd the chicken cross the road?" Xavier inquires.

"To get t-"

"To get to the other side!" he exclaims, tickling my sides and making me laugh. Because of my ailments, laughing hurts, but I can tolerate it. The whip marks on my back are already numb.

He ends his assault on my skin with one last laugh, "Ha." 'I like it,' says my wolf.

'Me, too.' I concur. While cleaning, I noticed people hanging out at Red Stone, but I was never one of them. It feels good.

I also appreciate how Xavier allows me to spend time with my brother. Often, Alphas are overly protective of their mate and forbid any men from approaching her. Brad rushes up from the ground, placing the controller and his hands under the blanket and around my waist.

"Hands above the blanket, Ryan!" he exclaims as he points at us. I clutch my palms and shrink even further against Xavier. My brother's yelling is frightening me.

When Xavier returns his arms to their original position above the blanket, he says, "That's better." My wolf laments the loss of contact but does nothing about it.

"So, when do you want to go shopping?" asks Xavier.

My puzzled expression tells him I don't know what he's talking about. "For clothes, we could go to the mall and fill up half of the closet."

I explain, "I don't have any money."

"I'm paying." I don't like the idea of someone wasting their hard-earned money on me. I'm fine with old clothes; that's why we have washing machines, right?

"How many clothes did you have before?" Brad inquires.

"From the pack ladies; they had small clothes in storage and gave them to me when Alpha wasn't looking," I explain.

"I swear I will find and kill your old Alpha."

"You need to tell me the name of your old pack," Xavier continues, but I shake my head fiercely.

"Why not?" "They shouldn't get away with abusing you!"

Xavier's POV

Charisse says quietly, "I don't want anyone to get hurt." Her former pack mistreated and malnourished her, and she didn't want them to suffer.

I can tell she's compassionate and caring, but it doesn't mean she has to look after her old pack. "You realize I'll find out who they are sooner or later, right?" I want her to know that they'll receive what they deserve no matter what.

She nods, tightening the blanket around her. "When do you get your cast off?" Brad inquires, abruptly changing the subject.

"Three weeks for the boot, five weeks for the rest," I explain. Charisse was fast asleep when Dr. James told her how long she had to wear them. We're expected to return to the hospital in a week to get her stitches removed.

She heals slower than the usual wolf, almost human-like, but her wolf powers are gradually improving with me nearby. "You want anything to drink, sweetheart?" I am still waiting for a response.

Brad says, "She's sleeping."

"Did you review the patrol plans yesterday?"

"Yeah, I added three more wolves to sector seven to improve communications."

"Anything else happens?"

"We've got two rogues in here," he says.

"How come they aren't dead?" Rogues are usually dealt with swiftly. Only enter Lunar Blood land if they intend to fight.

Brad says, "They said they came to get someone."

"Who?"

"I don't know, but we could conduct some interrogation tomorrow."

"I'll do the interrogation, and you'll stay with Charisse," I say. I want to be at her side, but if I don't let out my rage, I might take it out on the house--there's no way I'd hurt my friend, but I don't want her to be any more terrified of me than she already is.

She should be terrified of me.

"Shit. I have to cancel the search team," Brad says as he struggles to stand up. He bolts from the house, slamming the door behind him.

What should I do now? I would be alone on a typical day, watching TV or assisting the search team with Brad. Now that my friend is beside me, I have nothing to do.

I reach my feet and carry her bridal gown into our room to place her on the bed. She mumbles something about surfing on potato chips as I open the door. Despite the strange occurrences in her dream, she appears to be experiencing a dreadful dream.

"Charisse," I murmur, attempting to rouse her. She's supposed to sleep a lot, but I don't want her to have nightmares when she does.

"Hmm?" she asks as he gradually opens her eyes.

"You had a bad dream again."

"Oh."

"Are you hungry?" I inquire, even though I already know the answer. She sighs and shakes her head.

"Do you want anything?" she asks, which surprises me.

"What?"

"If you're hungry, I can cook something," she offers, looking at me in the eyes.

"No, it's fine," I say dismissively. Charisse shouldn't be doing anything right now; she shouldn't be working at all.

"Are you sure?" she asks. "I could bake you cookies or a cake." She sits up straight and leans on me like the mate bond is working on her.

"I'm perfectly fine."

I keep my gaze fixed on her while she fiddles with my hand. She appears to be innocent, but the black bruise beneath her eye, cut on her lip, and damaged jaw indicates that she has endured a lot of blows. Scars covered her skin when I first met her.

Most people believe that shifters do not have them, although nearly everyone has at least one. Charisse has much more than usual; nonetheless, they will heal with time.

Scars fade and disappear when friends meet; my parents informed me when I was younger. "Are you cold?" I inquire.

She sighs and shakes her head. How can I start a conversation if she doesn't respond verbally? "Do you want to go shopping tomorrow or the day after tomorrow?"

She sighs. Is she frightened to speak up? She's happier and more open when we're simply messing about, but when we talk about her needs and herself, she's quieter than usual.

"I need to do some office work; do you want to stay here or come with me?" I inquire.

"Can I come with you?"

I take her back in my arms and head to the office. This room was once a bedroom, but I made some changes. I should work at home rather than at the pack house or elsewhere. Charisse breaks the stillness by asking, "How long do you work every day?"

'HECK YEAH!!!' SHE BEGAN THE CONVERSATION!!!!'My wolf applauds.

"Three to six hours, depending on the day," I say, "and I do the papers a few weeks ahead." All I did for the first few months of being Alpha was paperwork to get ahead; now, I'm almost two months ahead in paperwork.

"Xavier," I like how my name sounds in her tongue. "Your telephone is ringing."

"Who is it?" She asks, picking up my phone and reading the caller ID's name.

"It's Brad." He was just here; why disturb my friend and me?

"Ignore it," I say, wishing my phone still had a decline option.

"What if it's really important?"

"He wouldn't mind if you linked me if it's important."

"Brad called and left a message."

"Ignore it."

"He's been texting you... a lot."

"Ignore it." I go over and turn off the ringer. Should I mute the whole thing?

"Won't he get mad if you don't answer?" Charisse's expression tells me she's terrified of what will happen if I don't answer the phone.

I hold the phone between us, pressing the answer button and putting it on the speaker. "Wow, I didn't expect you to respond," Brad exclaims.

"Yeah, yeah, what exactly do you want?"

"I'm not sure," he would say, shrugging.

"Is Charisse awake?" he inquires.

"Yeah... Wait, never mind," she said before falling asleep again.

"What brought you here?"

"The team was wondering when they'd finally see Charisse again." Because the search team mostly comprised people who knew her when she was younger, they spent a lot of time looking.

"Probably at the ceremony or when I get them to be guards."

"OK," he responds before hanging up the phone. Sometimes, I am not by Charisse's side, but she will still be protected somehow. Brad will undoubtedly be my first contact for the assignment, but I shall enlist my father's or Gamma's help if he is also unavailable.

My mother will try to go shopping or do anything with my friend, and neither my father nor I will let them go alone. He will even dispatch guards to lurk from a distance when he feels the need. 'Send guards and trackers,' urges my wolf.

Trackers?

'To track down anyone who attempts to flirt with my mate,' he explains.

Excellent thought.

Should I ask my mother to accompany Charisse shopping? Of course, I'll attend, but I'm not familiar with feminine stuff--but my mother will give me a big lecture about not telling her that I've found my mate.

Should I contact her straight away? Should I call my father instead? 'Or we could nap,' my wolf says.

He has the most brilliant ideas.

After closing my laptop and putting up my documents, I lay down on the couch. Charisse is now lying beside me and in my arms, so I move her. Fortunately, the blanket is long enough to cover my body; not every blanket does.

When Charisse curls up to my side, I close my eyes and smile as I fall asleep.

*** (After one nap)

Click.

Click.

Click.

CLICK, CLICK, CLICK, CLICK.

"What the hell is that?" I mutter as I open my eyes.

"Xavier! Watch your language!" My mother warns as she puts her phone away. Was she photographing anything?

"What's going on?" Charisse asks, waking up and emerging from beneath the blanket.

"Charisse, this is my mother; Mom, this is my mate, Charisse," I say.

Charisse sits up and says, "Hi."

Mom gasps, "Oh my goddess!" and pulls her in for a hug. "I've been waiting to meet you!"

She gives me a sneer before releasing her embrace on my mate. "What did I do?!?" I exclaim, clutching my companion close.

"You were supposed to tell me when you found your soulmate."

"I didn't have enough time-"

"Yes, you did," she says, cutting me short.

"Mo-."

"I don't want to hear about it."

"It's not even my fault-"

She sobs, "You don't even love me!" Oh no. She's sobbing.

Charisse furrows her brows and murmurs, "Xavier, you made your mum cry." She turns away from me and embraces my mother. I did nothing!

"Uh... Mom?" I'm at a loss for words.

"Can you get me a tissue?" she says, her eyes welling up.

"I don't have any tissues," I explain.

"If you loved me, you would have some!" She holds Charisse and sobs even more.

"Do you want some toilet paper?"

More sobbing.

I get up and dash to the loo. Dad would murder me if he found out I made my mother weep.

Charisse's POV

"Are you OK, Mrs. Ryan?" I asked, massaging her back. I don't remember having parents, but I know you're not meant to make those who reared you cry.

"Oh darling, I'm fine," she says, sitting up straight as if nothing had occurred. She giggles as she wipes her face with tissues from her purse.

"I was faking it so that Xavier would leave the room."

"By the way, my name is Eva," she says.

"You don't talk much, do you?"

"That's the same thing Brad said."

"It's not a bad thing, honey. He and Xavier could learn a thing or two from you; all they do is talk." she chuckles.

"Won't Xavier be back soon?" I inquire. Perhaps he needed help.

"No, I hid all the toilet paper and towels while you two slept."

"Really?"

Eva shows me her phone and says, "I also drew a mustache on a picture I took of him." It shows Xavier asleep with a bright green mustache and unibrow.

"Enough chit-chat. Have you two kissed yet?" she asks directly.

I slowly nodded.

"Well, then, tell me about it!"

"Xavier kissed me on the first day I woke up." I begin. "I got scared when we were talking about being mates, and then he just leaned forward."

"Have you done anything else?"

"Last night, we slept in the same bed," I say. Eva's expression tells me she wants to hear more.

"I tried to see if he's ticklish."

"I meant if he does anything romantic." she chuckles.

Oh.

I shrug. "He just holds me a lot."

"Mom, I couldn't believe you weren't crying," Xavier says as he walks into the room.

"Were you faking?" he inquires.

"Yes, now what's that?" Xavier asks, his right hand clutching both crutches and his left bottle.

"Charisse's crutches and medication." Didn't I take my medications already? Is there anything else I should bring?

He informs me, "It's for your back, sweetheart."

"Oh, I'll put it on for you then," Eva replies as she stands up. She takes Xavier's bottle and crutches and assists me in getting used to them.

"Mom, I was going to do it."

"Well, I am. Charisse and I will have some girl time, and besides, you have work to do."

Xavier gasps and swiftly crushes his lips against mine before retrieving his papers. Eva wraps her arm around me to support my weight; unfortunately, I can't even walk independently with crutches.

Eva reads, "It says to wear sanitary gloves when applying and to massage the product into wounds lightly."

"Will it hurt?" I inquire, concerned about the cream's potential for burning.

"Just a little bit. Can you lift your shirt for me?" I hesitantly turn away from Eva and lift my shirt, exposing my back.

As she gasps, tears well up in my eyes. "Oh, my goddess," she exhales as she examines my scars and sutures.

"Who did this to you?" she speculates.

"My old rucksack."

"I'm so sorry," she says, pulling me in for another hug. "You don't deserve to be hurt like this."

She takes care not to put any pressure on my back this time. Long whip wounds, medium knife cuts, and bruises cover my skin--it's just one of the reasons I dislike my appearance.

Aside from the fact that my eyes don't sparkle like everyone else's and my hair isn't soft like everyone else's, my will to live has vanished. Maybe it was Alpha James' torture that made me like this, or maybe it was the misery I put on myself.