Marley’s p.o.v. Dad has been gone for a few days now and even though I know my life will be hell if he fails, I hope that he can’t find the other female from the Belleron bloodline. Alpha Devlin is a monster and that is putting it mildly. Grandma never wanted another Mate after Grandpa died and she made it clear that she would never accept Alpha Devlin as her Mate. Unfortunately, there isn’t much you can do against an Alpha command. Every minute that I wasn’t in school was spent with Grandma, learning about an almost extinct practice of medicine and I am grateful that I had a great love for it or I would have lost Grandma by now. My alarm sounds and I walk into the small kitchen, where I pull the Achibiper leaves out of the pan. It is a delicate procedure that requires precise timing. Twenty four hours ago, I boiled water before adding the leaves and now it is time to proceed to the next part of the process. Making Pheejilon from scratch is tedious work, but it is more effective than manufactured Pheejilon and I know it is what Grandma needs. While the excess water is dripping through the cloth, I crush three strands of Toppulee and four strands of Ippolica. By the time I am done, most of the water is gone and I open the smoker in the corner of the kitchen. I attach the cloth to the small hooks after adding the crushed herbs. It will remain there for forty eight hours and then I can start the last part of the process. To make it appear as if I am preparing food, I place an iron pin with some fish on it in the center of the smoker. Anyone who opens it will be more interested in the fish than in anything else and that will protect my little secret. “Do you think that Alpha Devlin will keep his word?” Acadia asks. He promised Dad that if he could bring Alpha Devlin a replacement for me, we would be allowed to leave the territory. “I’m not going to hold my breath, Acadia. I don’t trust him and I doubt Dad trusts him.” I answer her. Our front door opens and Alpha Devlin walks in with a smile on his face. I don’t need the smell of that whore to tell me what he did. Grandma’s whimpering was enough warning. “Hello, Marley. You look lovely today.” He says as he walks past me to Grandma’s room in the back of the cottage. I follow him to make sure that Grandma is okay, but I know why the Asshole is here. He wants to gloat at the pain and bruises he has caused Grandma, but she won’t give him the satisfaction. “Layina, how are we doing today?” Alpha Devlin asks as he opens her bedroom door and I hear her Lycan growl softly. Damn, those two are good at acting. Neither of them ever shows him what is going on and he will be surprised if he knew the truth. He never took the time to really get to know my Grandparents; he is too self-centered to care about anyone but himself.“Those bruises look nasty. Maybe Marley should get Doc to check your injuries.” Alpha Devlin says, but we all know he will never allow Doc to set foot in this cottage to help Grandma. He will only enable Doc to see her with him present and won’t allow Doc to treat her. He chuckles as Grandma pulls the sheet up and he looks at me for a few minutes before walking out of the bedroom. “Soon, Marley. Soon.” He says this before walking toward the door and exiting without even closing the front door. I slam the door shut before going back to Grandma and find her sitting up against the headboard, a smirk on her face. She pats the bed right next to her and I lean into her side as she puts her arm around my shoulder. “How much have you made so far?” Grandma asks. I tell her that there is enough to last us both a lifetime and I hear her growl at my words. “Grandma, even if Dad manages to get that woman here, there is no guarantee that he will let us leave. We need to be prepared for the worst and that means a shit load of Pheejilon.” I tell her. The bruises on her stomach are the only evidence of Alpha Devlin’s betrayal. It is the only thing he can use to belittle her, because he moved her into this cottage when she failed to give him an heir and that means he never hears her crying out in pain. At the first signs of his betrayal, I make her fresh Pheejilon, mixing a teaspoon of the mixture with a teaspoon of water. It numbs the pain within seconds and gives her Lycan enough strength to heal her bruises slowly. “Does anyone suspect anything?” Grandma asks and I know she is talking about Alpha Devlin’s affair with Kashish. “Her Father found out the other day and now everyone is talking about it. No one will be hostile toward her if he makes her his Luna, but it will be evident that she isn’t liked among the Pack.” I answer her. Grandma was well-liked within the Pack; she had been an amazing Gamma female and Grandpa had earned a lot of respect as the Gamma. However, something had always bothered Grandma about Alpha Devlin and Grandpa had agreed with her. In all the years that Grandma lived here, she saw many Pack-members leave on an assignment and never return. There had also been attacks on our borders, which had resulted in some prisoners. No one knows who they are or where they came from and even though they live in a house, it is fenced in. You can’t get close to it; if you try, the Warriors show up to send you away. Not even the Omegas who are mated to some of them talk about their Mates and I am surprised that Alpha Devlin allows them to be mated to those prisoners. “I am feeling a lot better, Marley. Thank you for caring for me.” Grandma says. “Did you make me something to eat?” I smile as I get off the bed and head back into the small kitchen. Having an appetite is a sign that the Pheejilon is working and her Lycan needs the food to maintain her strength as they both heal. Someday, I hope to leave this hellhole and find my fated Mate. It is a feeling that gets stronger with each passing day.