“S-s-sir?” she stuttered, and her feet got rooted to the ground, unable to move.

“You heard me,” he stated and walked ahead to the bathroom door. Olive's heart thudded loudly. She thought he wanted to rape her, too. No way in hell was she going to be in a bathroom with a man who had no conscience. She couldn't bear any more torture.

“I'll get ready!” she yelled and ran swiftly into the bathroom, shutting the door and leaving a surprised Alpha behind. She slid down the wooden door and sat on the floor with a deep sigh. Her life was turning upside down. Wait—it had always been upside down.

She looked up at the shower and got on her feet. She showered because she had no other option. There was no window in the bathroom to escape through.

It was after she finished showering that she realized she had now healed. Not a single injury remained, though she still felt weak and fragile. Her skin was back to normal... with all the old scars that would never leave her.

“How did I heal so fast in a few minutes?” she asked herself, knowing she still had injuries a while ago.

Olive grabbed a towel and walked out of the bathroom, happy that the Alpha was out of sight. She ransacked the bags he had brought and picked out a pair of black jeans, a white sleeveless shirt, and a black jacket. She wore the Converse and marveled at how perfectly they fit her.

Olive walked through the door, still scared but determined to face whatever was coming at her. She'd still fight her way out, if possible. She heard voices from the kitchen, and Alpha Knight's strong scent wafted from the living room. So, she chose the kitchen to avoid seeing him.

Immediately after she stood by the open kitchen door, every one of them stopped talking and stared at her. She stared back, not knowing what to say or do.

Terry cleared his throat, and they all looked away from her, although still stealing glances.

“I... Alpha Knight said we were leaving in an hour,” she managed to say.

“Yes. Come and have something to eat,” Jake said to her. He drew a chair from the table, pointed her to it, and began to arrange food for her. Olive was surprised.

“Eat this,” he said. She looked at the delicious-looking pasta with tomato sauce, then looked back at him.

“I... me?” she stuttered with wide eyes.

“Yeah, you,” Jericho, the youngest-looking one, answered with crossed arms.

They all had their eyes fixed on her, wondering how she turned out to be their Alpha's mate. She looked fragile, weak, and unworthy of him. If it were up to them, they'd advise him to reject her, or she would be his downfall.

Olive could interpret the look in their eyes, that they really hated her. She looked at the food and at their fiery, unquestionable eyes. Slowly, she sat down and stared at the dish. She sniffed it and couldn't find anything that smelled weird. But still, she couldn't help asking.

“Is it... is it poisoned?” she questioned while still staring down.

She heard a man scoff, and she looked up to see one of them walking away angrily. That was Terry, who had gone to get the food himself.

“You can skip it if you like. Just know, the BBA ordered for you to be fed before we head to Balendin with you,” Jake explained plainly.

“You are taking me to Balendin Pack?” Olive's heart skittered with fear. She was dead meat if she entered his pack.

“You need a lot of energy when you get there, so eat up,” Alpha Knight's voice rang through the kitchen, and they all looked at the door where he was standing.

Olive's nostrils savored his scent, that rainy scent she loved so much. The Moon Goddess had blessed him with it. Her heart melted, and her fear disappeared. She was fine. She was with her mate.

Her eyes instantly shot wide open. Did she just refer to him as her mate again? What was wrong with her?

She mentally slapped herself and began to eat immediately.

“Eating too slow. Speed up,” Terry nagged as he walked back in and hit the table. Jake shot him a glare because Alpha Knight was in the room. Wayne himself gave him a questioning look because that seemed absurd.

Olive, with spaghetti in her mouth, spoke, “Nothing... just savoring my last meal.”

She heard muffled laughter and looked up to see everyone looking at her like she was a clown.

“Jake, come with me,” Alpha Knight ordered and left the room after staring at his pathetic mate. Jake met with him outside the house.

“Yeah?” he asked.

Wayne's fingers ran through his hair desperately.

“She doesn't realize?” he asked.

“Realize what?”

“That I'm... that I'm her mate?”

Jake looked at his Alpha and marveled at how disheveled he suddenly looked. He last saw that look when they were tackling a very important issue with the country's president, and the president was proving stubborn. But right now, Wayne had that look because of... a girl?

“What makes you think that?” Jake asked.

“She's... she's scared—terrified of me. She still thinks we're gonna hurt her. She thinks I'm gonna hurt her.”

“She'll come around. She's been through a lot here. Do you think she'd forget that so easily?”

Silence reigned for a few minutes before the Alpha sighed.

“All right. I'll give her time then,” Wayne answered and began to walk back inside.

“May I ask?” Jake called back his attention.

Wayne looked back and raised a brow.

“What are your plans when we reach Balendin?”

Wayne knew he was referring to Olive going with them. He shrugged.

“Don't know. What matters is I'm returning with my mate,” he answered and walked back inside.

When he reached the kitchen, he met a total surprise. His men were sprawled across the floor, table, and counter as if someone had thrown them around like old socks. There was sauce, pasta, and sharp red marks on their faces. Pieces of broken plates lay all around them, and Jericho even had his hand pinned with a fork, blood dripping down his palm. The Big Bad Alpha's mate was nowhere to be found.

Alpha Knight looked around, dumbfounded at the sudden state of his men, but the first words to proceed from his lips were, “Where's Olive?”