I walked into the house first, nodding to my guards to dismiss them. Griffin did the same with his guards, and I was quick to drop my purse on the table inside the door. Griffin's arms wrapped around me, and I leaned my back against his chest. He shut the door, and I breathed out slowly.

"You're not allowed to leave me, Griff." I frowned. "I didn't like it."

Griffin kissed the back of my head. "It was only one day, my love." He rubbed my arms.

Chills ran down my back, all the way to my toes. Griffin's touch was electric to me, and I had to step away to clear my brain.

"A lot happened while you were gone." I walked toward the kitchen and grabbed a water bottle, moving to the couch to sit down. "I've met with everyone that was on my schedule, plus a meeting with your dad, and I've gotten to know my guards, at least the ones that were here." I groaned. "I also talked to every Alpha or Beta of our kingdom and have updates on their individual situations."

He walked from the kitchen with a glass of wine. "Wow, Little Wolf, you've worked hard while I was gone." He kissed the top of my head and dropped into the recliner. I pulled my feet out of my shoes and settled them onto the couch.

"What did you meet with dad about?" He asked, slowly drinking the red liquid.

"The AlphaLuna position." I groaned. "Oh, Griff, it's so much." I let my head fall onto the couch, almost laying completely flat.

Griffin sat forward in the chair. "Alena, if you don't want to do it..." The phone ringing cut him off. He stood and took off to the office, shutting the door behind him. I sighed and stood, walking to the bedroom. I grabbed a pajama set out of the closet, consisting of a simple pair of shorts and a thin tank top.

I quickly changed and walked to the bathroom, grabbed my hairbrush, and carried it to the living room. I was hoping to get Griffin to brush my hair as he had just a few days prior.

Walking into the living room, though, I froze. Griffin was tensed, holding onto the back of the recliner with both hands.

"Griffin, honey, is everything okay?"

His head snapped up to look at me, and his eyes were darker than usual. Either his wolf or his Alpha side was in control, and I didn't know which was worse.

"Griff-" A snarl cut me off. Alpha side was in control. Odin could take misuse of names, and Alpha Griffin couldn't.

"Alpha Griffin, please sit down."

He stared me down. "Don't tell me what to do, Luna." His eyes color swarmed, and I could see that he was trying to regain control.

"You don't have to. I'm just asking." I held my hands up defensively and walked towards him slowly. "What was the phone call about?"

Skadi's voice jumped in my head as a snarl filled the room, making the walls shake. **Even Odin is mad, Alena. He said to call for King Brennan and Queen Lux** I cleared my mind and linked my guards to send for the King and Queen urgently.

"Alpha, I'm sorry if I've done something to upset you, but I need you to tell me what happened on the phone." Griffin stepped closer, attempting to assert dominance. I refused to back down, making him upset.

You're not quite strong enough to challenge him and win. Brennan's voice echoed in my ears.

"I should have done this a week ago," Griffin said, stalking towards me. His eyes were nearly black at this point. I knew what he was coming to do, and I had to stop him.

Griffin wanted to mark me forcefully. But, if he did it, it wouldn't heal properly for years, and we would be left with a reminder of one night of anger.

I stepped backward and held my hands around my neck in fear. I was five steps from the front door. Griffin moved two steps closer, his hand shattering the wine glass he held. I wanted to rush forward towards him and comfort him, pulling glass shards from the significant cuts on his hands, but I knew I couldn't.

I moved slowly and steadily toward the door, trying not to alarm him.

"Alena, I can see you moving toward the door." He stood just a few steps away from me. "I need to do this to keep you safe." I staggered back as Griffin lunged. I tumbled off my feet and fell on the ground, Griffin landing on top of me as my head slammed against the rug. I winced at the pain and forced myself to blink my tears away while putting my hands up to shield myself from his face dipping toward me.

I pushed his head away from me, shoving his body off of me. I bounced to my feet, trying to stay one step ahead of him. I reached with my left hand and threw the front door open but didn't move toward the door to leave.

This confused Griffin. I used the confusion and held him flat on the floor, putting my weight on his shoulders to hold his upper body down. I heard yelling, and Griffin's growling vibrated the foundation of our cabin. I knew I could hold him down for just a few more minutes.

The yelling got closer, and I could make out Brennan's voice. This seemed to infuriate Griffin even more, and I struggled to hold him.

He threw me off his back, and I skidded across the floor, landing against one of the stools of the breakfast bar.

I cried out in pain and curled into a ball, watching my mate stalk closer to me.

"Griffin, please, don't do this. This isn't the way you want to do this, Griff, please, baby." He grasped my waist tightly and lifted me into his arms, but almost immediately, I was yanked from his arms and held by the Queen while the King tackled Griffin to the floor.

I sobbed against the Queen, placing my feet down so she wasn't cradling me like a child. "There was a phone call, and he just got so angry. He wanted to mark me, Lux." I wailed, protecting my body in the corner of hers. She stared down at her son, who was held down on the floor by her husband.

Brennan was much stronger than I was, and he had rank over Griffin. "Submit, Griffin."

After repeating the phrase at least four times, Griffin bared his neck and collapsed in submission. Immediately his entire demeanor changed, and he tried to move his head to see me, but I tucked myself further behind his mom.

"Griffin, I'm taking Alena outside. When you've calmed down and are ready to talk, you can join us." Lux spoke authoritatively, and I was thankful to have such a strong motherly figure in my life. She led me outside, keeping her body in between my mate and me.

I dropped onto the steps of the house, all of my energy feeling drained. Sloane and Regan rushed forward to my side, standing protectively beside me. I smiled sadly up at them, upset that they saw me so weak compared to my mate.

Lux sat next to me, albeit much more elegantly. "How are you feeling, Alena?"

"Exhausted." I groaned. "I thought we were going to get to have a peaceful night at home, and I was honestly ready for bed as soon as we walked in the door. The phone rang, and he took it like usual, then when I left the bedroom after changing, he was just... angry. Every part of him was mad. My wolf could feel the anger from his wolf, and Odin hasn't ever gotten upset with Skadi, even when they're racing or sparing."

"Have you considered that he's not upset with you?" She asked.

I knew deep within that he wasn't upset with me, but it felt like something I had done had led to the anger.

Before I could respond, the front door creaked open, and Griffin walked out. Fresh tears stained his cheeks, and while I wanted to reach out to wipe them, my body unconsciously flinched away. He walked down the steps and stood in front of them, facing me.

"Griffin, you have a lot to explain," Lux said firmly.

He nodded, running a hand through his hair. "The guard from the Auvomor Kingdom called, and there's a threat."

"That's not an explanation for wanting to mark your mate forcefully, Griffin," Brennan said from the doorway, stepping to join us. I waved away my guards, not wanting them to witness their royal family fighting.

"There's a band of rogues coming after Alena. She's in danger, dad. They want her power, being royal, and the Alpha of the Frostclaws. The bounty on her head is even greater because she's unmarked." He growled again, but a pointed look from his mother quieted him.

"You thought forcefully marking your mate was going to save her? Griffin, that's how you get her to run away, not stay close to you and safe." Brennan pulled at his collar as Lux spoke, not going unnoticed by Griffin or myself.

My jaw dropped. "You came to stop Griffin because you did it before." I slid away from Lux after whispering to her. "You forcefully marked Brennan." My hands came to cover my neck again, feeling small and unprotected.

Skadi itched to come out and run.

"I did. It wasn't common knowledge, and it was easy to hide, but I did. He marked me forcefully in return, out of revenge." Queen Lux pulled down the neck of her tee-shirt, showing the scar of a forced mark to the left of her true mark.

"Let her run, Alena. Your guards can follow, and we'll be here when you get back." Brennan had seen through my facade and gave Skadi permission to go. Skadi didn't wait for me. She shredded my outfit and took off towards the forest. I heard Sloane, Regan, and Atticus following, along with three more sets of footsteps. I knew they were my other guards, the ones I hadn't gotten to know well. Skadi ran the border of the royal grounds, not stepping out of our land but staying close to the edge. She ran further and longer than I ever expected her to, so when she returned and settled in front of the cabin, I wasn't surprised she needed a break. The girls surrounded me, in their wolf forms, all sitting in a protective circle around me. Sloane sat in front of me, giving me space to exist but still guarding me.

When Griffin walked towards me, she snapped her teeth at him, making him step back with his hands up in the air. I barked at her to give him the clear, but Skadi called for Odin. I could hear her begging for him to come out.

Griffin shook his head. "I need to talk to you, not Odin." He said. Sloane, under my guidance, allowed him into the circle. The girls turned their heads to observe him, but he sat down on the ground and reached out for Skadi's fur.

"I'm sorry, Alena. I never wanted to hurt you or scare you. I just got so overwhelmed with the idea of someone hurting you that I didn't think I could let you out of my sight." He buried his face in Skadi's fur, and I felt water drip into my fur.

"I have to go find them, Alena. I can't just leave them out there. The Auvomor kingdom is tracking them, and they know their patterns."

Skadi pulled at his shirt with her teeth, and he pulled it off, knowing what she wanted better than I did. She allowed me to return to my human form, and I quickly pulled the shirt over my naked body, grateful that Griffin had turned his head.

"You didn't have to go through that alone, Griffin. You could have told me. I'm your Luna, and I'm an Alpha, but I'm also your mate, Griff. I have a right to know what is troubling you, and I seriously have the right to know if there is a threat against my life." I crossed my arms across my waist.

"I know, I'm sorry." Griffin reached for me, and I couldn't help but lean into his touch.

"You need to call a meeting of the Alphas. Here this time. And I need to be officially sworn in as Luna Princess. I can't expect their protection if I'm not a legal part of their royal family."

Griffin nodded at everything I had requested. "Let's go to bed for the night, and we can make calls and plan your ceremony in the morning."

I looked toward the cabin, where I saw Brennan and Lux on our couch. "Are they leaving soon?"

"They're going to stay the night in the spare room, just in case." This calmed my nerves, and I dismissed the girls for the night, walking into the cabin led by my mate.