When Kegan woke up, he was too warm, but in the best way possible. He felt comfortable and safe, despite the sweat that dripped down his face from the slight heat pains and the warmth that surrounded him.

When he moved, Kegan froze, realizing he wasn't alone. He turned his heat slightly and saw the sleeping face of Calix, the Alpha's arms holding Kegan close to his chest.

It explained the sweat and why the heat had died down. Since Kegan had learned to tolerate the pain, he could deal with his heats, but the presence of his mate thankfully made the pain die down even further.

However, Kegan knew that the disappearance of the pain wouldn't last long and that he'd hit his peak within the next few days. At some point his body would demand that his mate do more than hold him and cuddle him.

He tried to get out of Calix's hold, but the Alpha didn't let go. Kegan growled and tried to pry Calix's hands off of him, ignoring Jade's heat induced pleas not to piss off the Alpha.

"I have to pee!" Kegan snarled, both to Jade and in an attempt to wake up Calix.

"Don't. Piss. Off. My. Mate." Jade growled lowly attempting to overtake Kegan's body.

"I have to pee, dumbass!"

"Hold it."

Kegan scowled. "I liked you better when you were silent."

As soon as he said the words, he regretted them. Kegan felt Jade's rejection and sadness before he went silent in his mind. It wasn't Jade's fault for his desperation to please their mate; it was instinct.

"Jade? I'm sorry!" Kegan thought sadly, trying to get Jade to respond, but the wolf remained silent.

The scent of anxiety and fear cut through the air. Kegan had already experienced difficulties trying to get a response from his wolf the first time, and their relationship was battered because of it. He didn't want to make it worse.

"Kegan?" Calix asked groggily, finally waking up. "What's wrong?"

Kegan climbed out of bed as soon as Calix's grip loosened and he bolted for the bathroom. He slammed the door behind him and after he finished doing his business he knelt by the tub and began to sob, burying his face in his hands.

"Kegan! Open the door," Calix pleaded, knocking on the bathroom door. "Please, tell me what's wrong!"

The fact that Jade didn't push Kegan to respond and obey their Alpha only made him cry harder.

"Fuck," Calix whispered to himself. He didn't want to use his Alpha voice and scare Kegan, but the Omega's actions were terrifying to him. "Kegan, I don't want to have to force you to open the door. Please come out."

"Go away! I'm fine!" Kegan yelled, climbing into the tub and laying down to cry.

Calix groaned and began to pace outside of the door. Then, an idea popped into his head and he ran out of the bedroom.

Kegan heard Calix run off, but he didn't know where he'd gone. He didn't really care, as long as the Alpha wasn't forcing his way into the bathroom and allowing Kegan to be away from him. Between the heat pains and the anxiety of Jade not responding, Kegan didn't want his mate to see him.

He didn't trust Calix and he didn't want the Alpha to hurt him or scold him for hiding away in the bathroom.

After about fifteen minutes of tears, Kegan managed to contain himself to hiccups and slow the tears. He sat up from the tub when someone knocked at the door, but he didn't recognize the scent.

"Kegan? It's Tali," the Beta called gently. "Can you let me in?"

Kegan snarled at the door, and he felt a little calmer when Jade growled as well. "Why the hell would I let a traitor anywhere near me?" he asked, crossing his arms and laying back down in the tub.

"I never meant to make you feel betrayed," Tali said, pleading with Kegan. "I was sent in when your wolf let out a distress call to his mate. I was just meant to keep an eye on you and to tell Calix when the best time to get you was."

Kegan was still upset, but his curiosity was overruling his sadness. He slowly stood, ignoring the cramps radiating in his gut and opened the door.

Tali stood on the other side, her short brown hair pulled away from her face in a loose ponytail. She looked much more relaxed than she had in the North River pack.

Kegan crawled in his nest and pulled one of Calix's shirts to his nose to soothe himself. "You can't sit in my nest," he growled when Tali came nearer to the bed.

Tali nodded and pulled the chair from Calix's desk and sat down in it. "Why are you so upset?" she asked, looking over the tear streaks on Kegan's face.

"Because of my heat," he said, knowing it was an obvious lie. He could tell Tali knew it was a lie as well, but she didn't force him to say anything else.

"You want to know about what I was doing in the North River pack, huh?"

Kegan nodded stiffly. "I have a few questions."

"Ask them," Tali instructed, falling silent so Kegan could speak.

"What do you mean when you said my wolf sent a distress call?" he asked, thinking back to the day that Jade had shifted and ran, resulting in the scars still bulging on Kegan's legs. "How would he even know to do that?"

Tali pursed her lips in thought. "How old are you?"

"Twenty."

"When a person gets older and hasn't found their mate or been rejected, the ability to sense them grows stronger. Like, an evolutionary response to not finding your mate," Tali said, pausing and making sure Kegan understood. "I think that because you moved to the North River pack, which is much closer to our pack than the Red Claw pack, your wolf could sense Calix."

Kegan let the information sink in. "You were on scent blockers, weren't you?"

Tali nodded. "Yes. I was able to get in as a servant and steal clothes from other members of the North River pack so their scent was on me. They thought I was one of them and never really suspected me."

"How did you know I was the one you were looking for?" Kegan asked, knowing he didn't have any knowledge of his mate at the time so Tali couldn't possibly know unless Calix pointed him out.

"Your wolf told me that he sent the distress call a few days after I arrived."

"What?" Kegan asked, betrayal coursing through him. "He spoke with you?"

Tali nodded, confusion on her face. "Didn't he tell you that I was there to protect you?"

Kegan felt his heart rate accelerating and head pounding. His wolf, the only one in the whole world that he should be able to automatically trust, had kept secrets from him and revealed himself to a stranger before ever speaking to Kegan himself.

Instead of staying around to ask Tali why Jade would possibly do that, Kegan stood up and ran. He pushed past Kai, who had walked into the living room and nearly ran into Kegan, and sprinted straight for the front door.

"Kegan! Stop!" Tali yelled, before turning to Kai, who watched the Beta in confusion. "What're you staring at me for?! Go get him!"

"Where are you going?" Kai asked as Tali ran toward Calix's office.

"To get Calix! Kegan is still in heat and it may not affect you because you're mated, but there's other Alphas out there who won't be able to control themselves!" Tali shouted, barging through the door to Calix's office.

Calix stood up at the scent of Tali's fear. "Is he okay? Is he still in the bathroom?" he asked, worried for his mate.

"We have a problem," Tali explained, quickly telling Calix what had happened and how Kegan suddenly ran off when he learned that his wolf had spoken to Tali. "I don't know why he was so upset. Wolves talk to other wolves, it's normal!"

Calix growled at her, irritated that his mate was in danger. "He's not normal! He's been raised in a strange and degrading situation! I know from his wolf that they don't have a good relationship, and he probably wasn't even aware that Jade spoke to you."

"But-"

"It can wait," Calix snapped, sniffing the air for his mate's honey-sweet heat scent. "Link any mated Alphas or Betas you can think of. I want everyone keeping an eye on the unmated ones and searching for my mate!"

Tali nodded and did as she was told. As soon as she finished communicating to members of her pack, she caught up with Calix, following his lead and shifting into her wolf.

As soon as they finished shifting, Calix caught wind of his mate's scent. He was about to howl joyfully, but it was cut off when he heard a terrified scream.