"Treason?" I question with a tremor to my lip. He tightens his hold around my hands, holding them into him so I don't pull away. I couldn't do that even I wanted to. His touch is keeping down the little contents of my stomach that I have. "Something you should never do is question the authority or power of someone high ranked but something you really should never do is the same thing about someone's mate." He begins calmly but as he continues I can hear the anger rising in his voice. When I notice it I doubt that it's only there wolves that feel the mate bond. He already cares deeply for this girl and he hasn't even met her. It hurts even more to know he doesn't feel it for me. "The both of them thought that she didn't deserve to be where they were. They threatened my men to kill my mate the second I took my eyes off her once that I had found her." His eyes are brimming with tears. "We're a very animalistic breed." He scowls. Ryder allows me to pull my hands back out of his. He drops it more than he allows me to release it, as he slouches back into his chair. I shift my hands back to push myself up into a sitting position. Judging from the pain that shots my ribcage I know I shouldn't be moving. A cry of pain leaves my mouth and Ryder moves again to push me back down lightly but I slap his hands away. He's been getting in and out that chair ever since I woke up. When I hit at his hands he just smiles a little as he takes my hands pulling them out from beneath me to pull me up instead and the way he does makes me bend through my hips instead of my waist. Ryder tries to pull away from me again but I grab his shirt to stop him. He thinks that he's finally scared me off. He's waiting for it but he isn't there yet. He's nowhere near it and he never will be. He seems shocked that I've grabbed him. I try to force my mouth open to speak but it's stuck. Ryder's eyes locking on me forces it out. "You love her already. You're protecting her." Ryder raises his hands up to wrap around mine. His touch is warm. Pleasure shoots through my spine when he drops his head down to kiss my knuckles. He laughs when I speak next. "I have to pee." *** When I wake up in the morning Ryder's gone and the rooms been rearranged back to normal. The suns streaming into the room and all the curtains around the bed have been pushed back to allow it. The top sheet has been pulled up over me but all the others are still folded over my waist. The single tube is still in my arm but all the other pieces of medical equipment are removed from the room. Ellie walks into the room off the balcony and she helps me to sit up when she's close enough. She's simply dressed in a pair of ripped white wash jeans and a loose white shirt. Her black hair braided down the left side of her neck. Ryder further explained that a male wolf marks there mate with a bite to their neck, just above there collarbone. He also told me that those with a high rank like him, Maxon and all the guards that are on the both of us plus the alpha, beta and third in commands of all packs all mark on the left side of the neck. All other wolves mark on the right, to show rank and power. When I lift my hand to push her plait out of the way, she watches me carefully with a knowing smile on her face. There sitting on her neck right where I expected it to be is a clear bite mark, four teeth looking slightly larger than the others. It's somewhat lighter than her natural skin colour, enough to be visible to all those who look for it but still dark enough for those he don't know what it is to pass it off as a birthmark or scar. My fingers reach out to touch it she pulls away shaking her head. "It's sensitive." Is all she says as she smiles at me. Thousands of questions flutter through my mind. Who? Did it hurt? The two questions that overlap all the others, instead I go for something different. "Why is it sensitive?" Once the words are out I bite my lip. I blurted it out. Ellie just smiles at me. She's grown close and comfortable around me over the past week and I'm happy to have a new relationship here. The more I have the better. I feel safe here and I don't want to leave the serenity. I don't want to leave Ryder. "It's how the claim works. When any female touches it I feel uncomfortable and when any male touches it I feel like I'm going to vomit." Her face portrays the emotions of the words she says. "Did it hurt?" I continue. She nods. "Yes. It doesn't last for long but once the pain goes away, whenever Maxon touches it the feelings that over take you are very strong." Maxon is her mate? Ellie laughs. "Yes he is." I didn't realise I had asked the question out loud. "He's very tense especially since you came. Ryder disappears to see you and when he does Maxon has to deal with all Ryder's duties and he stresses out about it. But other than that he's very comfortable and relaxed especially when I'm with him to do so." She sighs. Despite that first day I could see what she meant about Maxon being tense. Yet the only thing that catches me from the sentence that Ryder disappears from what he's supposed to be doing to be with me.