A/N: Hey... I know it's been a looong time since I updated. I do apologize. I'm sure I've mentioned it before, but it is going to take me a long time to finish this due to personal reasons. Over the last year, I had a lot to deal with family wise, and I am currently the main provider and caretaker of my household. My job really kills my creativity for writing, and often gives me writer's block.

However, I do want to thank everyone who reviews or follows the story. It helps to encourage me to try to finish this, and overall, I love knowing people actually like what I write. I'm going to attempt to write more chapters. This one is really kinda bad, but I did write another chapter after this one that I'll post soon.

"Are you shitting me?" Lea asked in a hostile growl. "Big Blue is your mate?!"

A stilled silence lingered in the room as Lea's growl echoed. Her blue eyes glared at the two, with Hank holding Roxanne's small hand in his furry paw. Hank seemed uneasy about Lea's reaction, his face twisted with discomfort. Roxanne was frowning, a soft whimper escaped her as she felt the weight of her alpha's rage.
"Lea, I have told you before that we cannot pick our mates. This is not something you can control," Hank tried to reason, his grip on Roxanne becoming tighter as he felt her feel frightened from Lea's display.
"I don't give a fuck if it's a choice or not, Roxanne doesn't have to accept you," Lea hissed.
"But she has. Roxanne has the right to handle this as she may. You don't get a say in this," Hank repeated.
"As long as I'm Roxanne's alpha, the say is mine," Lea warned, taking a threatening step towards Hank. "Get up Roxanne, now."
Hank got up with Roxanne. He had felt her hesitate before obeying Lea's order. His connection to Roxanne was strong enough already that he could feel everything Roxanne was feeling. He knew she wanted to refuse Lea's command, but couldn't since she was unclaimed by him. That meant she had to obey the alpha of her current pride.

"Do not use your influence on Roxanne!" Hank demanded, taking a defensive stance in front of Roxanne.
Lea's brow quirked at the challenge. It wasn't the first time she was challenged as an alpha, but it was the first time it was from someone outside her family. She felt herself get exceedingly angry, but somehow, part of the anger didn't seem like her own. Her claws grew quickly, and a moment later, she slashed her claws across Beast's face, then she smacked him backwards. Her strength was great enough to make him tumble back onto the couch. Roxanne was paralyzed in fear by Lea's display of dominance, and was given a glare before Lea stormed out of the room.

Lea sat in the passenger seat as Lizzie drove them back to the school. The back of the car was filled with a bunch of different bags, and one of the outfits bought, Lea was currently wearing. It was a simple outfit, a black cami with leggings. It was a breathable outfit, which is what Lea was willing to suffer in until she returned to her hides. Along with clothing, Lea bought some little keepsakes due to Lizzie's advice.

"You all right, Lea?" Lizzie asked, glancing at her from the lingering silence.

"Hm? Yeah yeah… I just bought too much," Lea sighed, looking at the back of the car.
"Too much? You bought like maybe $300 of stuff, all of which was on sale for $15 or less cause you refused to buy anything else that was too expensive," Lizzie laughed.

"That's a lot of money," she countered with a frown. "There's not point in me spending a lot, when I'll be back home eventually with my hides."

"You know that Victor will never allow that, Lea," Lizzie reminded as they pulled into the driveway of the school.

There was a cold glare that Lea shot Lizzie's way at that sentence. From the weight of the glare, followed the wave of rage. It wasn't intentional, but Lea's influence was being forced on Lizzie as well. Lea noticed it once the red cleared, and took a deep breath. Her eyes were closed, suddenly feeling guilty about doing such a thing to her friend.
"I'm sorry…" she muttered.
"It's fine," Lizzie reassured once she parked. "It's my fault… I know mates are a touchy subject."
"Yeah, but you should still be able to talk about them," Lea said, getting out of the car. She opened the back and started grabbing bags. "I feel bad, I guess."

Lizzie rolled her eyes, smiling at Lea as she grabbed some bags too. The smile reassured Lea that she hadn't lost her one friend because she was still touchy about mates. It made her relax more, and the two started walking side by side into the school.

"We can talk about mates more when you wear your lingerie for Victor," Lizzie laughed, nudging her with an evil grin.
"I still can't believe that you convince me to get it. It's so… girly" Lea whispered as they walked into the lounge.

As they walked in, Lea and Lizzie were met by the sound of tv. Lea looked to see it was on the news. The anchor was reporting something about a company called Friends of Humanity. She saw the spokesman for the company talking about how mutants needed to be controlled. The mention of ferals needing to be exterminated was mentioned it before it was turned off.
"Why did you shut it off?" Lea asked in a tight, restrained voice.
She hadn't realized it, but she had dragged her claws so deepingly into the couch that a chunk was literally in her clenched fists. Her fangs were digging into her bottom lip, and her eyes were fixated intensely on the tv. Victor's paw encased Lea's, and he was watching her intently. Her eyes threatened to flicker to meet his, but she resisted. She didn't need to give him the satisfaction.

"You're anger is suffocating the room, Kitten," Victor said, whispering in her ear.

She looked around the room and noticed that both Lizzie and Roxanne were withering and whimpering. Her influence was expanding, washing over her lesser female companions. Both Logan and Beast were growling at her, looking like they were ready to attack. She felt Victor snake his arm around her waist, and pulled her closer to him so his body covered her in a defensive way.

"Come on," Victor scooped her up with ease and quickly left the room.
Her bedroom door was slammed shut, and Victor threw her almost carelessly onto the bed, yanking her bags from her hands. He discarded them on the couch, and looked at her in a dangerous way. She brushed her hair out of her face and pushed herself to the edge of her bed.

"What the fuck is the matter with you?!" Victor growled. "They could have killed you!"

"Fuck off with that shit, Victor, I'm an alpha too!" Lea snapped back. "Stop acting like I can't handle myself! I don't need you to protect me!"

"How fucking blind are you, Lea?!" Victor's voice boomed, shaking with anger. "My duty, whether you fucking like it or not, is to protect you. Your actions affect me. If you fall victim to danger, I have to protect you. My instinct will not allow you to be harmed. And you need to realize this is not your territory! Jimmy and that blue fuck have marked this place! You need to control yourself!"

Lea didn't respond. Instead her bottom lip poked out in a pout, and an annoyed growl left her. Her arms crossed along her chest, and she refused to look at him. His anger was burning her nose. She heard him stomp over to her, but continue ignore him. He noticed it, which only pissed him off further.

"Answer me!" Victor demanded.

"What the hell am I supposed to fucking say!?" Lea snapped. "Do you want an apology?! Am I meant to apologize for us being mates?! I get it, Victor! You didn't ask to be my mate! You don't want it, but you aren't as fucking stubborn as me to ignore it! Congratu-fucking-lations! You got the short end of the fucking stick!"

Victor's brows rose in shock. He felt his heart pang. He walked over to Lea, dropping down carefully on the bed beside her. Their thighs touched as Victor looked at Lea. She didn't return his gaze, so he put a claw on her chin, and turned her to face him. Her icy sapphire eyes met his stormy gray, and only then did he speak.

"Kitten, you really are blind," he sighed. "I wouldn't want anyone but you for my mate. You're what female ferals should be. Strong. In tune with her instincts. Prideful. Challenging. And absolutely fucking gorgeous."

His sudden confess, while completely out of character, made her fall silent. She actually felt touched by his words, and for a moment, she felt as if she returned his claimed feelings. For a moment, that is. Her mood shifted when she felt his hand, which was on her back, began sliding towards her ass. She inhaled sharply before punching him in the jaw.

"Can you fucking restrain yourself for five damn minutes?!" she snapped.

She pushed off the bed, and walked over to the couch. Her bags were picked up with ease, and she began to stuff the clothing into the drawers of her dresser. She felt her skin heat up with anger, and her throat burned from that amount of growling she had done that day. Her ears picked up on him walking over to her, which caused her to push the drawer shut, then turned to face him.

"What?!"

"Shut up," Victor ordered, throwing her over his shoulder. He carried her back to the bed and dropped her onto it. He put his weight on her as he covered her with his body, keeping her pinned down. "Don't you get tired of being mad all the time?"

"Gimme a week, and maybe then I'll be exhausted," she replied, squirming slightly. "Get your fat ass off of me!"

"Say please," he taunted.

Lea let out a low, rumbling growl before having her claws extend. She reached over his shoulder, and embedded her claws into the pressure points of his shoulder blade. She slashed downward, which earned a small hiss from the sudden pain. It sparked a bit of wrestling between the two, with Lea getting the upper hand by letting out a fake whimper.

"You're such an ass," she groaned, brushing her hair off her shoulder as she sat up.

"Quit whining bout it, Kitten. You love it," Victor said, settling beside her.

"You keep telling yourself that," she rolled her eyes. "Can I ask you something?"

"Hm?"

"Does my influence affect you?"

"No," Victor answered. "Alphas can't get overpowered by another."

"But Beast seemed effected by me when I expanded mine," she put in.

"Because you are Roxanne's alpha. Since that furball ain't claim her, she is subjected to obey you. Their bond is strong enough that he can feel your control, but not overpower it," Victor explained.

There was only a hum from Lea as she accepted his answer.