Anaya had spent all her life trying to make her ends meet. She never found someone who could make her feel all tingly and special. There was no one who occupied her thoughts and made her heart thunder like a tiger's roar.

She was afraid of attachment and affection because if her own parents could abandon her, what could she say about others?

But now, after meeting Icarus, all she wanted was all that she never had. She wanted to feel loved even if it was just a tiny bit for a tiny amount of time.

And if this was wrong, why did it feel so right?

He was a werewolf, different from her and though she should have been afraid of him, she was not. She could walk away from anyone, but not him.

A knock on the door snapped her out of her thoughts. Startled, she quickly wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand and sat up on the bed.

Her heart dropped to her gut when the door was pushed open to reveal Nick. Lisa emerged out from behind him and headed straight to the walk-in closet. She couldn't look at the closed door anymore when she realised Lisa was packing her suitcase in there.

"Good afternoon, Anaya," Nick greeted her softly. "How is your fever now?"

He looked as handsome as yesterday with his gray buttoned up shirt and black slacks. She wondered if he had found his mate yet.

"Good afternoon." She forced a smile to her face. "I-It's gone. I'm fine n-now."

"Were you crying?"

Her eyes widened and she shook her head fiercely. "No, I was asleep." It was lame to lie when her expression clearly said otherwise. But she wasn't comfortable speaking to him about her problems with his Alpha.

He nodded and she held her breath, already knowing what was coming next but she wasn't prepared to hear him. For some reason, she felt like she'd make a huge mistake if she left Icarus today.

"Ready to go?" Lisa came back right on que with a suitcase pulled up beside her and Anaya had no choice but to nod, muttering a "yes".

She was on the verge of tears, her heart crumbling to pieces with every step she took out of the room and down the stairs.

He wasn't hers but she didn't want to lose him and having spent some time with him over the week didn't help either.

She stopped in her tracks when she saw Icarus at the bottom of the stairs. He held out his hand to her and she took it without hesitation. Warmth shot through her veins and she looked away, finding it hard not to cry in front of him.

He gave her a set of keys and all she could do was stare at him questioningly.

"Keys to your new house and car."

Her lips parted in bewilderment and she shook her head, already pushing the keys towards him but when he didn't buzz, she slipped them into the pocket of his jeans. "I can't take anything from you."

With a groan, he shoved the keys into her hand again, along with a credit card. "You don't have to work anymore."

She blinked up at him, completely speechless. She had mixed feelings at the moment, while she wanted to be furious at him, she also found his thoughtfulness extremely sweet and kind. She gnawed her lip, conflicted from within, ultimately she shook her head, this time more firmly.

"I'm stubborn and persistent. So take it before I force you," he said darkly, his eyes urging her to do as he appeased.

She gave him a watery smile, unable to form any words.

"Now before you leave, we have to complete the rejection process to break the mate bond."

"Wha- H-how?" Panic seized her from head to toe when his words registered in her head. It didn't sound very good.

"I, Icarus Cy Vasilios," He inhaled sharply, his firm gaze set on her, "Alpha of the Imperial Royale pack, reject Anaya-"

"No!" A wave of pain crashed over her and she stumbled back, her breath coming out in short pants as her heartbeat turned erratic. She felt like she was drowning in ice cold water, pins and needles hitting every inch of her body. She gripped her hair in a tight fist, her head throbbing like never before. Tears blurred her vision, gliding down her cheeks but even then she could see the world sway around her. Her legs gave up and with bated breath, she waited for the impact of the fall but it never came.

Strong arms wrapped around her waist and yanked her to a hard chest.

"Anaya!" She heard a familiar voice but she could barely keep her eyelids open. She felt his lips press against her forehead while his warm, calloused hand rubbed her back in a soothing motion. "Darling, look at me."

She tried to call out to him, assure him that she was okay but no sound made past her lips.

"For fuck's sake, get the healer!" He barked and she could hear footsteps running around her. She blinked back the heaviness behind her eyes despite the ache she felt as he hauled her into his arms and rushed upstairs and into his room.

He gently placed her down on the bed and a whimper tore out of her in protest when he began to pull away.

"Shh, I'm here." He slid beside her and tucked the stray tendrils of hair behind her ear before draping his arm around her midriff. His lips brushed against her jaw, down to her neck, the sweetness of it enough for her to feel tingly.

She felt her headache gradually fade away, everything beginning to feel normal again when his lips and hands continued to caress her flesh. Her eyes opened easily and she found his face buried in the crook of her neck. She licked her dry lips and ran her fingers through his hair. "I-Icarus."

His head shot up and his face split into a relieved smile. "You are okay."

"Can I get some water, please?"

"Of course." He scrambled to his feet and poured a glass of water while she pushed herself up against the headboard.

"What happened to me?" she asked once she emptied the glass and handed it back to him.

"I think rejection took a toll on you."

"Did you reject me?" She dreaded his response.

"No, you stopped me."

She sighed in relief, nodding. "So uh..." She searched for the right words to say. Swallowing the lump down her throat, she took his hand in hers to draw some strength from him. "I want to stay. Not just for two weeks but for as long as you want me here."

Silent stretched out between them and she felt nervousness slowly eat her from within as the minutes ticked by. She pulled her hand free from his and looked away, feeling small and embarrassed. Her cheeks flamed and tears filled her eyes but she tried not to break down in front of him. That would be humiliating. What did she think? She had not accepted him, so why would he? "I'm sorry. I don't know what I-"

He immediately closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace. "Stay."

The tears freely spilled out of her eyes as she snuggled against his chest and hugged him back.

"But can we be friends first?"

His face fell so she hurried to clarify. "I have never been in a relationship before."

"Neither have I." He racked a hand through his hair.

"So friends?" She held out her hand for him to shake.

"You sure about this?" He took her hand in his and brought it to his mouth, placing small kisses on her knuckles. All she could do was stare.

"Healer is here." Nick's voice rang from outside the room.

She snatched her hand out of his grip, her heartbeat speeding up a notch. She laid down on the bed just as the door opened.

With a smirk, Icarus stepped back, letting the doctor take his place. He was handsome, a common trait Anaya had noticed in all werewolves. No one could tell he was old if it wasn't for his gray hair and the prominent laugh lines around the corners of his eyes and mouth. He bowed in Icarus' direction before turning to address her with a kind smile. "How are you feeling?"

"A lot better." Her eyes darted to Icarus for a split second.

The healer nodded and checked her heart rate and pulse. "Can you tell me what happened?"

"I-I'm not sure," Anaya whispered, shivering at the memories of the torment she went through. "It was very painful, I-I thought I'd die."

"Numb, cold, headache, chest pain?"

"Yes, exactly." Anaya blinked, surprised that he could understand her so well.

"I'd like to run a blood test. Is that okay?"

She frowned but nodded nonetheless. "Okay."

He tied an elastic band around her left arm and cleaned her skin with an alcohol pad before pulling out a syringe from his bag. Anaya watched him puncture the needle into her skin and remove the band as he drew some blood. He covered the area with a small plaster, then handed the sample to Nick. "Get it to Mrs.Hans and bring the report back with you."

He nodded and walked off.

It was a while, around 20 minutes when Nick finally arrived with the report.

The healer flipped the pages, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration.

"Anything serious?"

"Everything is fine." He looked up at Icarus. "But she is going into heat."