Bite Marks

Truce

"What are you saying Kane?"

"I'm saying you make me crazy and for some ridiculous reason I like it, but I'm also saying I still need to put my pack first."

"Oh, okay, yeah that really clears everything up."

I hoped the sarcasm was evident.

"I just think we both need some time to sort whatever this is out. You have whatever is going on with your 'boyfriend'..."

"Don't grind your teeth down Kane, how will you be able to bite people that piss you off?"

"And I have to do what's best for my pack and deal with these Rogues," he continued ignoring me.

"So in the mean time?"

"Can we just try to keep our hands and tempers to ourselves and try to get along?"

"Have you met me?"

"Okay, hands to yourself then."

"I think that would be doable. It would be nice to get off of your bad side. You can be annoying you know."

"I have been called a lot of things before, but never annoying," Kane laughed.

"Well it's about time someone said it then."

"So, truce?"

"Yeah, I guess, truce. But what am I supposed to do?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean all this business with the Rogues. Shouldn't we be trying to figure out why they want me? I'm no good at just sitting around on my hands all day, and I've already got cabin fever."

"It's still hard to have you around the rest of the pack. Until you fully shift and we can decide where you fit in the hierarchy no one knows how to treat you, it's making the pack antsy. It also doesn't help that I can tell you didn't finish that cup of tea this morning."

I looked up sharply, dark blue eyes met mine, full of promise. I swallowed slowly and forced myself to let out an even breath.

"Hands to ourselves remember?" I said shakily.

"Yes, well you need to make sure you're drinking a full cup of tea with every meal. I can't be worried about every male wolf around here trying to have his way with you, and I don't want to roll around in your clothes again either."

"So you did do that! I freaking knew it!!"

"It was a moment of weakness. I knew if my scent was on you I wouldn't have to worry, at least for a little while. It was also fun knowing how annoyed you must have been," he replied with a smirk.

I rolled my eyes, I'm sure he got a kick out of that. Territorial asshole.

"So... I need to shift?"

"It would be for the best. You would be a lot safer, and it would make the pack feel a lot better to be able to nail down your power signature."

"Power signature? Isn't it all like a choice and who can kick whose ass? That's what I understood from Mia."

"Most of it is reliant on physical strength, but there are some things that can't be controlled by strength alone. Not every physically strong wolf has a shot at being alpha it's more than that. You have to be able to control your pack physically, but mentally as well. You've seen me Command a wolf before haven't you? A Command cannot be disobeyed."

"Wait, so what about that time you tried to Command me? When I was trying to escape your sleazy kidnapping ass, why didn't it affect me?"

"You're never going to let me live that down are you?"

"Not in this life time. Answer the question."

"I have two theories on that one. It's possible that because you weren't born a wolf and you had yet to complete the change that you weren't susceptible to the Command at all."

"What's the other one?" I had a bad feeling about this.

"The other theory, that I'm afraid is much more likely, is that something about you gives you a very strong power signature. Only other alphas can resist a Command. There are female alphas, we tend to rule our packs in pairs, but there has never been a Rogue of alpha status, or a female Rogue at all for that matter. Because they were first human they tend to have very low power signatures."

"So you're saying I'm a super Rogue?" to laugh or not to laugh, I couldn't decide.

"It's a possibility, though 'super Rogue' sounds a little childish don't you think?"

I gave him a grin and it was his turn to roll his eyes.

"Alright, so say you're a super Rogue. That makes everything much more complicated for you. My pack is much more civilized that the rest of the North American packs, but they aren't going to be happy having a Rogue around that could possibly be stronger than them."

"Well tough tits for them I guess."

"Cassie, you don't seem to be getting it. They're going to be challenging you left and right and I can't actually stop them. It is completely normally for wolves to challenge each other to determine their places in the pack."

"Well if I'm a super Rogue can't I just Command them to leave me alone?"

"We have got to come up with a better name than that, and it doesn't quite work like that. There is a limit to the Command. A wolf doesn't have unlimited power. Every time you Command someone you will use up some of your power. It will replenish after some food and rest, but it is also dependent on the strength of the wolf you are Commanding. The stronger the wolf the more power you need to control them."

"So what's the solution?"

"At this point we don't even know what you're capable of, and we won't truly know until you shift. You can obviously shift your hands and teeth, I'm not ready to deal with that issue, but so far you haven't been able to fully shift."

I could have corrected Kane and said that I hadn't ever really tried to fully shift, but I kept my mouth shut for once and nodded.

"Okay, that is the first step, you need to try and shift."

"Right now!?"

"Why not?"

"Well, I mean I just ate, and you're not supposed to shift within an hour of eating or you'll get cramps."

"That's swimming."

"I'm scared of dogs."

"Try again."

"It's not a full moon."

"Only a myth."

"I-"

"Cassie! Quit stalling."

"Fine, I'm scared. What if I can't shift? Or worse, what if I can? That first time I tried it wasn't all that fun."

"I'm going to be honest, it hurts Cassie, but you get used to the pain. It just becomes a part of your life, the stepping stones from point A to point B."

I didn't really have the heart to tell him pain didn't bother me. I could handle pain. What I was scared of was losing more of who I was. My mother had taken some of me when she died. My dad had taken some of me when he forgot about me. Jason had taken some of me with every bruise. I couldn't afford to lose anymore, I wasn't sure who I would be.

Kane's eyes softened at the look on my face. He reached his hands up and cupped my cheeks.

"Cassie, if there is one thing I know about you it's that you're strong. You can do this."

I took in a deep breath and let it out, "Okay."