I woke up the next morning with a swollen lump on my neck, and a mess of bruises. Big purple bruises that looked like some kid had painted storm clouds all over me. I groaned and laid in bed for a good long while. Whatever the doctor had given me had flattened me and I was still pretty groggy. But I had no trouble remembering where I was: Iron Moon's pack house.

When I finally managed to sit up I realized I was naked.

Who had undressed me?!

I looked down at my naked body. Yes. Completely naked. Not even my panties! I patted myself with my good hand in disbelief. Naked. "What the hell?!" I exclaimed. "Please have been the doctor... please have been the doctor..."

And not Gabel.

Had Gabel undressed me?

I burned red with total mortification. I looked around for something to wear, and instantly spied a blue silk robe. I grabbed it and tried to put it on, but I moved too quickly and the bite mark on my neck stabbed into me. I fell backwards onto the bed and moaned a bit.

Stupid.

With a lot of careful effort I managed to get my arm through the sleeve. Then I looked around the room. It was cream colored, like I remembered from the previous night, and big. There was the bed, and then another little part of the room with its own couch and table and flat-screen television on the walls. And I had my own huge bathroom, with a tub so deep I could have drowned in it.

The most creepy thing was there were clothes in the drawers and in the immense closet. And shoes. I flipped through the pretty dresses and tops on hangers. "Who was here before me?" I asked myself. I sniffed the clothes but all I smelled was soap and dry cleaning fluid.

I want to see if I can resist.

Was I not the first woman Gabel had brought back?

It was a terrifying thought.

That was probably a secret too big to keep in a pack, so I figured I'd find out pretty quick if that was true or not. But then I decided it didn't matter. The day before I hadn't been able to think about any of this, and I guess I had thought I should convince Gabel I was suitable to be his Mate. Because that's what Mates did. That's how Mates were.

But I didn't want to be with to him. He was crazy: he wanted to be King Alpha. Alphas fell at his feet if he picked up his phone, so he probably expected me to fall to the ground too.

Gabel wanted to resist me? I'd made it really easy for him. I'd ignore him. He probably thought I'd throw myself at him trying to get him to Mate with me because I wanted to be his Luna, or I was afraid what would happen if he didn't want me.

But I wasn't like other girls. I was a Seer, and I was a powerful Seer. That automatically gave me status within a pack. Any pack. I didn't have to fight for status, I didn't have to pair myself with a powerful male. I had my own status, from the Moon Herself, and nobody could take it away from me.

I didn't need to kiss Gabel's toes and tell him how good he tasted. I didn't need Gabel, or his Mark, or the Bond. If we broke the Bond I still would be in Iron Moon, and I still would be his Oracle.

Someone had brought up my bags and unpacked them, which was also creepy--I had just been laying naked in bed while some stranger unpacked my things? I looked around the room until I found my scrying tools: they were still wrapped in velvet and silk, undisturbed, and had been carefully placed in the top drawer of the dresser. My assorted runestones were also there.

I took a hot shower, dried my hair and studied the stormy bruises over my body. They looked worse than they felt. Except for the swollen bite mark on my neck, which hurt like someone had repeatedly punched me with a large rock. It had swollen up a little bit overnight and probably could stand to be lanced again, but I didn't like the idea of dealing with the Doctor.

I decided to wear one of the pretty dresses in the closet. They were there, and pretty. I chose a pale blue one with stitched gold butterflies. It also showed the ugly lump on my neck. Just in case anyone demanded to know who I was wandering around the packhouse.

Oh, me? I'm nobody. Just the woman your crazy Alpha Marked yesterday because he was bored.

I opened the door to my room. Time to find something to eat and prowl around.

Two huge guys stood on either side of the door.

"Um." I looked between them. "Ah...am I a prisoner?"

The one on my left jumped forward with a quick reply, "No! No, you're not."

This was uncomfortable. I inched between them. They towered over me--what were they, six-two? Six-three? They were huge. And they followed me.

My stomach rumbled. "Where's the kitchen?" I asked. "I'm starving. Unless I'm supposed to starve."

Since they didn't introduce themselves I silently named them Goon A and Goon B. Goon A led me along the long hallway, down the spiral staircase I distantly remembered from the previous night and into another marble hallway. The ceiling of the open foyer looked like it went up about four stories, and in the center of the room was a large, square, shallow fish pond with colorful koi fish and water lilies. I half-expected to see a statue of Gabel somewhere. Maybe that was out in the garden.

It was also very, very, very quiet. I wasn't used to a packhouse that was quiet. There was always someone moving about, or coughing, or voices talking. Even late at night, there had been movement and life. This house didn't feel empty, but it was so quiet it would have been the envy of any library.

In the immense kitchen was a man in a chef's jacket working over several pans and pots on the stove, and three people sitting at a table on the far side of the room: two girls and a guy. They looked at me as I entered with Goon A and Goon B. I spotted the two girls as trouble right away. Both were pretty-in-that-bothersome sort of way, with clothes that were just a bit too tight and just a little too much makeup. An awful lot of effort to sit around and eat lunch at home. Both were blonde. The more platinum blonde's blue eyes shone with a little extra menace as she recognized me. Her dagger eyes zeroed in on my swollen Mark.

I had never been the popular girl at school or in my pack, and I enjoyed how it felt to be the one who had the guy all the other girls wanted.

It caught me off guard. What was I saying! I knew Gabel was insane. This Bond was blasphemy, it was just a toy for his amusement. This wasn't real. He didn't want me. Not for the right reasons. Platinum there should count herself lucky she had avoided Gabel.

Gabel took pleasure from pain. He dined upon the taste of fear. Platinum looked like the kind of girl guys used like a towel then tossed into the hamper, not the sort of cruel crazy that would want Gabel for what he really was.

But I still enjoyed her jealousy. She had probably hoped to become Luna, then Queen. I wondered if she had had any success.

The chef's name was Brian, and he was very nice and polite and offered to make me a sandwich. I was happy to get anything as long as it was quick. I was starving. Then I primly took up a seat at the table with my new packmates.

I hide how much that hurt my heart. My new pack.

That was going to take a lot of time to accept.

Goon A and Goon B disappeared.

"Hmph." Platinum sniffed at me. "So you're the one Alpha Gabel brought back."

"My name is Gianna." I introduced myself.

"I don't care what your name is." She snorted. She glared at the bruises all over my arms and bare shoulders, and her eyes once again stabbed into the welt on my neck. She scowled and didn't even try to hide it.

"I didn't get much say in it." I informed her sweetly. "If you don't approve you should go tell Alpha Gabel." I would have shrugged but my arm might have fallen off from pain. So I just clucked my tongue once.

I would have liked watching her tell Gabel. I wondered what Gabel's reaction would have been.

She shot up out of her chair. "Let's go." She informed the darker blonde and the guy. "I'm done with lunch."

They were still eating, but they shriveled under her glare and obediently got up.

"Going to go talk to Alpha Gabel?" I asked innocently.

Her eyes were blue daggers. "Maybe."

Which meant she wasn't. So much for cheap, unhealthy, mean-spirited entertainment. "I don't mind if you do." I taunted her. "Tell him I'm fine with going back to Shadowless if he's suddenly come to his senses this morning. You can have him."

The Bond punished me for saying something so crude. I almost winced and just barely managed to hide it.

"You don't want him?" she asked me like I was stupid.

"I don't even know him." I scoffed. "Like I said, I didn't get any say in this. Fine by me if he's having second thoughts. I never even had first thoughts."

It was dangerous insulting the Alpha like I was, but I didn't care. Normally I would never be so sarcastic or daring. Was that Gabel's influence? The Bond acted on each partner like the Moon acted on the tides. I didn't want to become like Gabel, and I'm sure Gabel didn't want to become like me.

No, I assured myself. It wasn't Gabel's influence. Not yet. It was just the chance to snarl at a bimbo like this from a position of power. That was a novelty and I was in a bad mood.

In the very back of my mind, even while I said these things, the thought of Gabel with this blonde horror show made me growl. That was also just the Bond shifting. If it wasn't for the Bond I probably wouldn't have cared, except to be pissed off at how guys always went for easy marks like this.

This wasn't a Bond. It was a tangle of crappy knots.

"He won't take you back to Shadowless." She sneered. "You'll just be held prisoner here. You shouldn't disrespect the Alpha."

I scoffed. "Alpha Gabel won't touch me. I'm a Seer. I am his Oracle. I'm useful. I don't need you, your Alpha or this Mark. The Moon Goddess has marked me, and nobody can take that away. Not even Alpha Gabel."

I normally wasn't so brave or so mouthy. Maybe whatever the doctor had given me still had me a little out of sorts.

Platinum made a sound of rage and stormed out in a flurry of gold hair.

I was going to catch hell for spouting off like I had.

Hell in the form of Alpha Gabel.