Mack's p.o.v. It is a good thing that Commander and I will always do everything to keep our Mate safe, or I might have pulled her onto my lap by now. I don't like the way some of the unmated males are looking at her, and I certainly don't like the way females keep looking at me. I want the world to know that Maleah is mine and that Commander and I belong to her, but it will take a few more days before we have formed our Mate-bond. I guarantee you though, once that is in place, I am going to make her mine. I am not paying much attention to the conversation at our table, and most will tell you it has to do with the topic; partially they will be correct. No, the reason I am not paying attention to the conversation has everything to do with the female sitting next to me and the fact she has somehow managed to entangle our legs. It is the one thing that keeps me from reacting to any male that has the guts to come over to our table, but Maleah is just polite in her responses, and I see a lot of disappointed looks from the males. She keeps refusing to join any of them after dinner for whatever it is they asked, and I am surprised none of them seem to know that she is Diego's Daughter, except for the older generation in our Pack. I want to demand an answer from her when she asks if she can join our morning meeting, but Commander points out that it will be best to do as she asked, and I tell her that as my Mate she has every right to sit in on that meeting. Normally I will try to escape the dining room the moment dinner is over, because it seems to send the females in our Pack the message that they can start bothering me and the rest of our leadership. Today I stay seated until Maleah tells us she is heading home to get a good night's sleep, and I hear Commander growl in my head as she gets up out of her seat. "I'll walk you home, Maleah," I say as I follow her lead, and the smile she gives me makes Commander calm down. I guide her through the dining room only to be stopped by my biggest nightmare. "Hello, Mack. Who is your little friend?" she asks, and I see her looking up and down Maleah's body, not that it seems to bother Maleah at all. Maleah just gives her the same treatment, and I can tell my Nightmare is getting uncomfortable with the way Maleah is looking at her; I believe it would make me feel uncomfortable if she was looking at me like that. Maleah just shrugs her shoulders as she tries to walk past my Nightmare, but she is determined to get a response from Maleah, and Commander can't wait to see what our Angel is going to do. "I asked you a question," Nightmare says as she steps in front of Maleah. Maleah looks at me before she turns back to Nightmare. "I don't believe my name is Mack; I lack a dick to be considered a male," Maleah says, and I hear people around us giggle and chuckle. I see anger flashing through Nightmare's eyes, and when she takes a step forward, I want to intervene, but before I can react, Maleah has her hand wrapped around her throat. "I don't owe you an explanation, and if you had paid any attention to your surroundings in the past, you wouldn't be asking this question; you would know who I am if you hadn't been a stuck-up bitch. Now, I suggest you get out of my way before I allow my Lycan to deal with you," Maleah says calmly as she releases a bit of her Assassin aura. The moment she lets go, Nightmare stumbles backwards, and I see pure fear in her eyes as she looks at Maleah, but she is smart enough to do as Maleah had suggested. My hand moves back to her lower back to guide her out of the dining room, and the moment we step out of the Pack-house, Maleah moves closer to my side, allowing me to slide my arm around her waist. We walk back to her house in silence, and I wonder how I am going to be able to sleep tonight. We follow the same path I took on the day I met her, and I am glad no other Pack-members are around to see us; I don't want anyone knowing about us until I have been able to mark her as mine. I enjoy the fact that I get to hold her close for the time being, and I ask her if she ever thought about moving to one of the cities or towns. "Mack, have you lost your mind? Have you ever stayed in a city or town longer than a few hours?" she asks, and I shake my head as I look at her. "I hate being away from the territory; I hate that I can't let Fortune out whenever she needs it, and I hate the rules and regulations I have to abide by in parks. We have to shift in a cubicle, and even though there are Guards, it's no guarantee that my belongings will still be there when I return. I have been traveling for long enough to know where I can go to shift as I please and where I know my team can keep an eye on my surroundings for me," she says. I stop walking to pull her into my arms, and as I place her head against my chest, I tell her I am sorry she has to follow some stupid rules and regulations. "I am glad I never have to stay in a town or city for too long; Commander or I would lose our minds if we had to go a day without running through the forest. If you want to let Fortune out for a run, just let me know; Commander would like to see his Mate again," I say as I let my hands roam up and down her back. We stay like this for a few more minutes before I pull back and do what I have been wanting to do ever since Dad pointed out that our Mate-bond started to form: I press my lips against hers. My hand slides to her nape as I gently bite her lower lip to gain access to her mouth, and the moment she gasps, I let my tongue slip into her mouth, ready to explore every inch of her mouth.By the time I break the kiss, both of us are breathing heavily, and I know she can feel my raging hard-on against her body. I place my head against her forehead as I look into her eyes. "I don't think I will be able to sleep without you by my side, Angel. Would you mind if I stayed with you? I just want to sleep with you in my arms," I say as I press her closer to my body, and I see her turning a few different shades of red as my rock-hard cock presses against her. "I don't think I would get any sleep if I spend the night alone, and Fortune would like to go for a run in the morning with Commander," Maleah answers me, and Commander is howling in my head at the prospect of having another moment with his Mate. We continue our walk to her house, and as we approach it, I see someone I could have done without: Maleah's Mother. Luckily she hasn't seen us yet, and reluctantly I let my arm slip away from Maleah. "Mother, what are you doing here?" she asks while I link the guard at the gate. "Why the hell wasn't I informed that Tara wanted entry to the territory?" I ask him, and I find out that this guard was unaware of the fact that she had left our Pack; he was one of our Pack-members that returned the other day for the Spring Ball. "Do I need to warn anyone else?" he asks, and I tell him to warn his Alphas. Tara might be Maleah's Mother, but with her transferring Packs, she can no longer come and go as she pleases; she needs to announce her visit to Maleah, who in return has to ask her Alphas permission for her Mother's visit—not that I would expect Maleah to accept a visit from her Mother. I think Tara is aware of that, and that is why she didn't follow protocol in this case.