Chapter 11

"I can't breathe."

"Just relax. Look at me."

"No!" I shake my head feverishly.

Quivering, I suck in a breath and squeeze my eyes as oxygen leaves my tightened limbs. I'm completely numb. That's what happens when you're holding on fiercely and your heart's pumping like it's on steroids.

"This wouldn't have happened if you had not disobeyed me."

Oh, I know... But you don't have to tell me Mr. Obvious!

"Shut up." If I could, I would love to kick him where the sun didn't shine. But if I did that, I don't think either of us will be able see the sun shine again, like, ever. Never mind the awkwardness it felt to have our chests pressed against each other. I tried my hardest not to move so that we wouldn't rub on each other. Second worst day of my life! Yesterday was my first.

It wouldn't take a genius to know how cross he was with me. "What in your right mind told you that you could survive a three story fall?" He all but yelled and my response was to hold on to his neck tighter.

Above us people frantically searched for rope, or trampoline. I hope they decide with the former, because I hate heights and I fear the feeling of falling. I'm an idiot and I'm going to most likely die an idiot. Why did I jump out?

My legs latch around his waist, arms nearly decapitating his head. "Can you please stop talking and get us back on solid ground safely?"

"What the hell do you think I'm doing...playing Tarzan? I'm a wolf, not a monkey!"

Rewind five minutes ago...

Greyson finished touring me around the house. While his attention focused on a row of classic texts he was keenly insistent I read (which I don't intend on doing so), my eyes darted to an open window three meters from where I stood. Angelina Jolie immediately popped into my head and I imagined her character from Tomb Raider making a grand escape. It played out perfectly in my head, but when I actually tried it, I failed miserably.

Now dangling over fifty feet off the ground, Greyson hung for our dear lives. His grip slipped and I squealed when our bodies swayed violently. He grunted and latched his hand back on to the ledge.

"We're okay." The tenderness in his tone nerved me.

"Are you two alright? Don't go anywhere, Leonardo is on his way with the rope!" Bennett yelled from above. He ordered people to prepare a safety net underneath, just in case.

"Don't worry dad, we'll stay right where we are." Even in situations like this, his sarcasm prevails. A gust of cool air brushes against my back and I shiver. "Are you cold? I should have lent you my sweater, but I didn't expect us to be going outside."

Instead of answering back with equal kindness, I snap. "I swear, if we both die today, I'm making sure your sorry ass is going to the pits of hell for making me involved in all this."

I expected him to get mad, maybe get so perturbed he'd drop me to my death, but instead I receive a smug grin. "Babe, I'd run through fire if that's what it takes for you to at least like me by a smudge." This momentarily stuns me and I can't create a brilliant retort to put him to shame. Next, he goes from charming to annoying. "You know, I've pictured this moment in my mind several times since we've meet. I thought we'd be tangled together in bed. Not hanging to our deaths."

"You-OH MY GOSH!"

"What! What are you screaming about?"

Holy Shit! It had four sets of hairy legs and multiple beady eyes staring straight at me.

"Spider! Spider! It's on you!" I hate spiders and that hairy thing had a huge ass. It was probably looking for a nest to crap its millions of offspring in. "Get it off, Greyson!" I screamed, shaking back and forth causing us to sway viciously back and forth.

"Celeste, stop it!" He groaned. "You're making it hard to hang on." I looked up to see his reddening fingers merely inches off the ledge.

Leo appeared over us with a rope in his hands. "Alpha, wrap this around you!"

The creature took a few tiny steps forward and I shrieked. "Shake it off!" By then, my legs detached from Greyson's hips and dangled between his legs.

"Stop moving, you're slipping! Where is it? I can't kill it-kind of busy keeping us alive here."

"I'm not touching it! Oh my god, it's having a vacation on your ass."

"For the love of...it's just a stupid bug!"

"Grey, the rope." Leo said again. He didn't hear the conversation happening below.

I clamped my teeth. "Can't you, like, flex your butt, or something?"

"Are you freaking serious?" Greyson said cynically.

"Yes! I don't want to touch it." I repeated again.

"I don't think flexing my ass will make it pop off like a suction cup."

As if amused, the evil creature crawled up higher onto Greyson's back and I screamed in hysterics. My hands gave way and gravity took me. Our bodies slid against each other and my shirt crumpled up all the way bellow my breasts.

"Celeste!" Greyson yelled.

The spider was not much of a concern anymore, with the ground nearing my face. Before I knew it, Greyson's arms were covering my body, a hand inside my shirt padding my back and the other protecting my head. I waited for the pain, but nothing happened. We hit something that felt like gigantic air bag.

"Son," I peak over Greyson's shoulder. Laura's hovering over us, her hair framing her face. I'm smothered against his chest and I think my nose might have a bruise.

"Are they okay?" Leo yells from the third floor window.

I hate that window.

"Just peachy." Greyson mumbles from my hair.

"They're fine!" Laura informs Leo and everyone else who has gathered to spectate my idiotic stunt.

The warm hand on my back slides down unconsciously nearing dangerous waters. Startled, I hastily try to separate myself from him. The air bag makes it nearly impossible. Greyson discontentedly removes his hands, then rolls to his back in an attempt to free me. But the movement causes me to move along with him, sending me lying across him.

I groan, punching his chest lightly with my fist.

"Can't you see how attracted we are to each other?" I punch him again but this time harder so it would hurt. Dare I say anything to him that would offend his mother? "First we are falling hard and now we are two opposites that attract. I call this fate. What do you think mom?"

"I totally agree with you son." Laura giggles.

Outnumbered, I sigh in defeat. As soon as they deflate the airbag, I displace myself from Greyson and his mother. We were standing outside. Outside where I had a clear view of the maze. There was no way I could make a dash for it and not get caught.

"Don't even think about it." Greyson intercepts my thoughts. "Look what your last idea got you. Almost dead."

"I wasn't planning on anything."

"What happened?" Lexie, his all too gorgeous sister appears, now clad in workout gear. She looked like she just finished running. Light sweat ran down the side of her face and pieces of damp hair clung to her skin.

"Celeste wanted to learn how to fly." The jerk muttered.

"I...was trying to escape!" I clarified, pointing my finger at him.

"Understandable." Lexie nods her head.

I smile at the only ally I had. Laura didn't look surprised either. Greyson glares at his sister and the two start a gruesome eye match. If they were actually fighting she had no match against Greyson's larger build. But I had to hand it to Lexie-that girl has a lot of spunk.

"Celeste, are you okay?" Bennett looked me up and down as if searching for a scratch. I found it really awkward that he cared a bit too much.

"Thanks for your concern dad. I'm fine too." The brooding son shakes his head.

"Greyson, take her to the infirmary." Bennett was making this into such a big deal.

"I'm fine."

"Greyson, now." Seems like my words just pass by their ears.

Without another word spoken, Greyson ushers me back into the house and into the infirmary, a.k.a., the small space hidden in Greyson's library a couple feet were I had earlier jumped out of. The doctor, Mary, is a silent tiny old woman. I don't even think she could see, but she held my hand for a few seconds and said, "She's fine." Then left without a goodbye.

Looks like someone is tired of her job.

"She's really good at what she does." Greyson saw the dubious look in my gaze as she closed the door.

My eyes scan the room, noticing the plain white furniture and sheets.

"I'm going to have someone permanently glue that window shut." He positions me on a small mattress, my back plopped up by a stack of pillows. He a seat on the rolling stool, facing my direction.

"It's not like I'm going to try it again after that ordeal."

"No, but if you plan to escape again, I will have to child proof the entire house with padlock and security codes."

I slap his hand that was nearest to me. "You are keeping me here against my will and now you're making me feel more like a prisoner!"

"Then what am I supposed to do!" He snapped, literally snaps his sharp teeth at me. I can see the points of his incisors peeking out from his upper lips. "You are trying to leave me!" I'm momentarily scared at his outburst, but he pulls back and notices the shock on my face. "Sorry, sorry...shit. I didn't mean to scare you. It's my wolf again. See?" He turns around and I notice his eyes again. They have changed color.

"Fluffy?" I say, hoping it would lighten the mode. Acting cute and innocent always worked on my sister.

His nose scrunches. "My wolf."

This time, I use a softer tone. "Please make me understand, because I can't see the sense of all this. Why are you making me stay? Why are you forcing me to wed you? Do you even leave this place? Does anyone in your family ever leave this place?"

"That's a lot of questions. I don't think you can handle all the answers at once."

"Try me. I've seen and heard so much in one day, I think I can survive the rest."

He walks towards a mini freezer and takes out a can of...

"Soda?"

I shake my head. "No thanks."

"Are you sure? I also have beer if you-

"Underage." I remind him.

"Right. You're 18."

"19." I corrected. "And your 24."

"Yup." He takes out a different can and shows it to me. "Just sparkling water, I'm not much of a drinker. I only down one class on occasion, but since I'm an Alpha it doesn't really affect my senses. It's all for show really." He took a few sips.

"I didn't need to know that."

He sets the can on the counter. "Being an Alpha I'm always in control. Physically and mentally. I always have to be aware of everything, Celeste."

"Yes, you've mentioned that before."

"And you. I take you seriously as well."

I snort. "Didn't seem like it when I was frantic and wanted to go home." I turned my head to face the plain white wall.

"Then go home...I will let you go" Did I hear him right?

Needing to look in his eyes for the truth, I faced him with an astonished look on my face.

"After all this, you're letting me go?"

Reverse psychology. It's a technique my mom used on me and my siblings. We would get tricked into doing what she wanted us to do, by pretending not to want it. For example, she would tell us not to do our homework, then add something along the lines of "I won't work either, that way, we would all live in the streets and beg for food". We all stubbornly did our homework in smite of her words.

Greyson was doing exactly what my mom did.

"Go ahead. Leave if you really desire it."

I stared at him carefully. He is a really great actor. I can't even tell if it was a joke or not. His sarcasm-if it was there was not showing. For effect, he even walked towards the door and good-manneredly showed me the way out. I stayed planted on the mattress, thinking I was walking into a trap.

"This is not a joke."

"It better not." Getting up, I decided to play alone. "Are you going to walk me through the maze?"

He took my hand and placed it around his elbow. "I'll escort you."

Something fishy is going on.

"That's nice of you."

He gives me a dazzling smile. "Anything to please my lady."

For every step we took, I watched him from the corner of my eye waiting for the moment to spot the jest on his facade. He wasn't kidding. True to his word, we strolled to the direction of the maze. I was going back to my family! A feeling of elation filled me.

I spotted Leonardo talking to two men. All of them stopped to ponder where we were headed.

"Alpha Grey, where are you headed?" One man asked.

I didn't even turned around to look at who it was. My eyes were focused on the maze and Greyson. Without a show of hesitation, Greyson enthusiastically told them we were heading to town and I smiled wider.

It was like siren bells turned on. At first Leo gave us a strange look, more specifically, he gave Greyson an 'are-you-out-of-your-freaking-mind' look. Then when Greyson shrugged them off and took one more step into the cave, all of them lunged and pinned him to the rocks. Leo pulled me away as the two men restraining Greyson, who didn't even struggle.

"Did you brainwash him?" Leo spat in my face.

I crossed my arms. "Oh I don't know, my witch powers must have fizzled his brain."

Leonardo must have some kind of personality disorder, because sometimes he played good-cop/bad-cop.

"Cut the crap, what happened to him?" See what I mean? Bad cop.

I can guess by the seriousness in his voice, he isn't as tipsy as he was before.

"Nothing. He just took small sips of his fancy sparkling water. He began saying stuff..."

"Alpha's are immune to getting drink! And what stuff did he say."

As this conversation played along, Greyson didn't make a response to defend himself. How strange was that?

"He said he would take me home to my family."

"And that's what I'll do. LET ME GO." Greyson used in a commanding voice. The two men followed his order like scared children. I happily took the hand he offered me and eagerly anticipated reuniting with my family.

"But Alpha, you can't leave! It's dangerous for you to step outside! If it so happens that you die, if Celeste gets killed too--"

"Greyson, what the hell are you going!" Upon Bennett's thundering voice, we stopped in our tracks.

Greyson's eyes widened for a quick second, before turning around to ace his father. "Dad, I'm taking Celeste back."

"You damn will not!" This side of Bennett was frightening. More frightening then Greyson's wolf when aggravated.

"Yes, I will." Greyson shot back grabbing my wrist.

Bennett sized up his son and they both equaled each other in height, except Bennett radiated more authority. I gasped when Bennett swung his fist and hit Greyson square in the jaw. Greyson released me and stumbled before steadying his feet. The side of his jaw reddened and he stroked the sore skin.

"Go out there, but as soon as you do those mutts will come sniffing for you-and her." His father's cold burly gaze scanned me before returning to his son and my knees almost buckled. "Didn't I tell you, as a child, you are not allowed to set foot outside of this estate? Those greedy mongrels will kill you to gain your Alpha power-power they can't handle. Distant relative or not, all of them are sick with greed. They will steal your position, blackmail our pack to submission and abuse her to torture you!" He punched the wall and the stone cracked. "You are vulnerable out there. You haven't mated, nor have I passed down the title to you. That wolf of yours is still a pup, until I say so!"

The truth frightened me. Knowing I would be in danger as soon as my feet touch the other side of that maze. I was stuck here...forever. This time, it really sunk in.

A blank look shadowed Greyson's eyes as he averted his eyes to the ground.

"Grey, don't be stupid." Leo added in.

Bennett held up his hand when Leo tried to approach Greyson. "Leave if you want to die so much. We won't stop you."

Greyson casted a glance at me from under his lashes. Deep down, I wanted to tell him that I was okay. We didn't have to leave anymore. But my stupid mouth was too afraid to speak.

Bennett growled before sending him a disappointed glance. He left without saying another word.

This fight was all my fault and Greyson got hurt because of me. It's the second time today I put the both of us in danger. I felt like the biggest loser on earth and suddenly, I lost desire to go home.

"Before you leave though, I want you to explain yourself," Leo demanded. "And don't blame this on her. She can't manipulate you too that extent."

A long pause passes before Greyson answers. "I wasn't going to bring her back to her family. Her action earlier was reckless and I feared she try something else more risky. By bringing her here, I wanted you guys to scare her a bit before I told her the truth. Dad's appearance was unexpected."

Betrayal. The prick lied to me and I was freaking pissed. All this was an act to rattle my bones. And he spilled the truth while I was standing right next to him!

"Shit man...Your dad is freaking pissed at you!"

"He'll get over it."

A deplorable hiss passed my lips and I wanted to slap Greyson where he stood.

"Lying bastard!" My fingers itched to claw him. The four men knew Greyson was in for it and stepped away from my path.

My fist balled tightly swinging towards his face, hoping to give him a matching bruise on the other side of his face. He dodged it. I tried again.

"Celeste. Chill...I'm sorry! I know it was immature of me but I thought it was a creative way of answering your questions!"

"Creative?" Thousands of needles pricked my eyes. "You think my emotions are all a joke!" I cried. "Guys are such idiots! For a moment there, I believe you. I thought of my mom, Trent, Charlotte and Gran. Seeing them again...but you lied!" I hit him once, twice, five times on the chest and he let me do it. "Don't treat me like I'm stupid. I have a brain, I know how to use it. Don't think so inferior of yourself just because you're the Alpha, or whatever! People in my world don't give a damn who you are, if you don't respect others!"

The look on his face was of pure shock. I bet he has never been yelled at by a girl not related to him by blood.

"Celeste...I-

I kicked him in the shin. That's right. On the shin...

He crouched down in pain. "F-

I grasped his a handful of his shirt and looked him straight in the eyes. "You messed with the wrong girl, mutt. I suggest you keep your tail tucked between your legs. You may never know...it might be gone when you wake up tomorrow morning." I audible heard the three other men gulp.

NOTE: Dec 24, 2016

HAPPY HOLIDAYS YOU FREAKISHLY AMAZING PEOPLE!!! I'M BACK!!! I've graduated and I'm ready to write again after a year of constant chaos. I have edited this book again so you will find some changes to the style of writing. This book has been closed off from the public but I have made it visible once more. SO YOU BETTER BE GRATEFUL, you marshmallows! Let's make one thing clear though IF YOU COPY MY BOOK...I WILL FIND YOU.

BE WARNED. xo