"You may leave your shirt on. However the leather jacket must be removed." I nod and keep my mouth shut while taking off my jacket. Not really a great time to wear a razorback tank. My previous scars, the long lasting kiss from the previous whips I've received are on display for everyone to see. I don't hunch my shoulders, I don't tuck tail as I probably should.

I hear a deep and threatening growl from behind me and I know it is Josh. Signaling to everyone around that he is more than angry, he's furious and to stay clear. Leadership is here and they all gasp or avert their gaze, along with Riley and the 'victim' with her parents. Katie is looking on with a smug smile but even this situation doesn't prevent me from glaring at her. I hold her gaze, she doesn't have as much power over me as she thinks. I'm almost convinced to join the pack so I can openly fight her and tear her apart. Though it will take me a few days before I will even be able to walk even with my advanced healing, I'll risk opening up the stitches. I'm escorted to the post that they just finished putting in. "I apologize for the delay Maya, we had to dig a hole quickly. Alpha Josh uprooted the last whipping post." I lightly smile at the notion, this is so medieval. I kind of wish I could be thrown in a dungeon for a week with no food. I get on my knees as he puts the silver cuffs on me to keep me attached to the pole. I shut my eyes but I force myself to keep my mouth shut as it sears my skin.

"You all know why we are here today." William announces, "We need to show this rogue she is not above law, and we need to show her where she belongs."

"SHE IS MY MATE! FUTURE LUNA OF THIS PACK! THAT IS WHERE SHE BELONGS!"

"AND YOU WILL LOSE YOUR POSITION AS ALPHA IF YOU DO NOT HOLD YOUR TONGUE!"

"JOSH!" I yell at him and shake my head no. Tears fall freely from his face and I have to immediately look away. It feels like my heart is shattering into a million pieces, and we haven't even started the mating process yet. I can hear Riley crying and Lucas trying to comfort her. Zay and Farkle are standing beside their Alpha in case he decides to do something stupid.

"Do you know why you are being punished?" William questions just like before every punishment.

"Yes."

"You are aware of the law?"

"Yes."

"You chose your punishment as lashes and you will get 5 for each offense plus an additional 3 whippings so your mate Alpha Josh of the Twilight Pack will not receive punishment for his inability to deal out a punishment. You will receive a total of 13 lashes."

"Yes." This feels like déjà vu. My voice is unwavering, I have no regrets for what I've done. I will fight to ensure Katie doesn't get what she wants. My agony.

Everything goes silent until I hear the familiar crack of the leather as it is thrown behind him. I grit my teeth as soon as it connects to my skin but I don't cry out. I can already smell the blood, my blood. Not just from my back but from my lip. I hear Riley balling her eyes out and Josh screaming, this really is déjà vu. Another lash, 2.

I grip onto the chains when the third lash hits my back. 3.

The silver from the cuffs are burning into my hands while I grip as a way of release. 4.

I finally let out a scream. 5.

I rest my head against the wood post. 6.

Josh is shouting, crying, pleading. 7.

The pain becomes unbearable. 8.

I scream. 9.

I fall off of my knees in an effort to collapse to the ground. 10.

I'm brought back to my knees while Josh and I both cry. 11.

I begin to black out. 12.

I don't even feel the next and last one when darkness begins to cloud over me and numbness overtakes my frame. However I smell my mate, so if I die at least I die with a smile on my face. "Stay with me baby girl." He cries.

But I can't.

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Sterile. Everything smells clean. I can smell my mate, I can smell Riley and her lavender scent. I can smell Lucas and his chocolatey scent. I can also smell my blood. I can hear the heart monitor steadily beating, letting everyone know that I'm alive and just sleeping off the pain. However I can't pry my eyes open, I can't move. I'm unsure if that's just because I am in so much pain and I don't want to or if they gave me a sedative. "I need more herbs." Riley whispers. "Lucas could you go get me some?"

"Why won't you let the pack doctor handle it?" Lucas questions. He doesn't want his female to have to suffer more than she already has. I know my Riley she's probably shed more tears than I would ever allow.

"I use to take care of her whenever we were younger." I felt her hand brush against my hair and make her way down to my cheek. "She always said I had a special touch and she asked me to be waiting on her like old times." I can hear someone crying, though I'm unaware of who it is. "She's okay Alpha." My friend tries to reassure him. "This is the least amount she's received."

"She should never have received any. I should have protected her. I would give up my pack for her, I shouldn't have let her take those lashes. It should have been me." Now I know who it is that's crying. The sound of a male who hates himself for his inability to protect his female. "I can't believe I let her get hurt." I can't feel my wolf right now, no doubt she's buried herself in my mind focusing entirely on healing me. I want her to know I'm not mad at her, she did what any wolf would have done.

"I know Maya, she would do it over and over again. She isn't like other females, never has been. She doesn't sit out of a fight and she stands up for what she believes in." Riley tries to reassure and comfort him with her words. Just as males don't touch other females who are mated, females do the same. However I wouldn't care if Riley touched him. I hear the rushing water indicating she's washing her hands and the smell of latex infuses the air. "Alpha I'm replacing her bandages again. If you need to step out-"

"I'm fine, I need to see this. I need to suffer for what I let happen to her."

That makes my eyes fly open. I'm staring at the tile floor of what I'm assuming is the hospital. "No." I muster out and I realize then how much my throat hurts from the screaming.

"Maya." Josh breaths in relief and begins to stroke my hair. "I'm so s-sorry baby girl. I'm so sorry."

"Josh leave. Don't see." Every word is like fire, I muster out what I need to and cut myself off.

"Out." Riley announces. She's truly coming into her own, she always had a knack for healing and comforting. She'd be a great pack doctor. I have no doubt in my mind. "She doesn't want you to see this Alpha, so with all due respect get out." All pack doctors are the same, they respect the Alpha but the patient comes first. Cory, Riley's dad almost inadvertently challenged my father, the Alpha when he was healing me.

"I'm not leaving her."

I don't know why but I'm crying. I haven't cried in years aside from previous events, his voice sounds so hurt. So broken. "P-please Josh. Riley hurts."

I hear shuffling of footsteps and a cool liquid fills my veins instantly. I go numb and lose all feeling from my neck down. A pair of lips presses against my head. "As soon as she's done I will be back. I'm so sorry Maya."

The door shuts and after she gives me a straw offering me water to soothe my aching throat she begins her work, I know the routine. She pulls off the bandages slowly in an effort to prevent the skin from pulling off with it. "It's been 2 days."

"That's a new record." I quip but there is no humor in my voice and if I laugh it will hurt.

"They're still bleeding, seeping through the stitches." She huffs and a cooling sensation rushes past my back. "Frankincense." Healing herb in a liquid oil, "I stitched you up but as usual you thrash in your sleep and they've reopened." I don't know how to respond so I don't. It's more of an effort than I'm willing to put up at the moment. "He never leaves."

"He doesn't need to see me this way."

"He feels like he does."

I shake my head and immediately get chastised. "He doesn't. It was my fault."

She sighs and the sound of gloves being removed inform me she's done with her work. "That isn't how the entire pack sees it." I don't say anything, the pack owes me nothing I don't want sympathy or pity. I'm sure they also are unhappy about Katie bypassing the Alpha and going straight to law. "In fact Katie has quickly become the most despised person for causing our future Luna harm." I huff and move to wipe my eyes when I realize my hands are restrained. "In an effort to keep you from moving. Unfortunately I'm going to leave you restrained Maya."

"I can't be a Luna." I muster out.

"Yes you can and you will. You taking those lashes for the Alpha proves that you want to be. That wasn't your wolf talking." Truth. Not just hers but mine as well. She knows me to well that wolf is cunning. In all honesty I took the lashes for Josh, but William is evil he knew I'd take it and knew me being in pain would hurt the Alpha more than punishing him directly.

"Luna's don't break laws. Luna's don't get whipped." My entire form and frame is not meant to be a Luna. An Alpha has scars, battle scars for defending the pack. I was born for an Alpha position.

I feel her pet my head in an attempt to calm me down. "Luna's defend their mates, and protect the pack. And you did the first one well." We sit in silence and I slowly feel myself going back to sleep as she continues to pet me. "You still get nightmares."

"More often than not."

"Can't say I blame you." And she hasn't even heard half of what I've endured. "I've already called the diner. I told them you were ill and needed 2 weeks off."

I gulp and so desperately want to hold her as a way to show my gratitude. To rest our cheeks together but I can't, I settle for words that won't ever do her kindness and love justice. "Thank you Riley. You always take care of me."

"We take care of one another. We always have." The loud banging on the door interrupts our tranquil moment and the immediate huff from Riley makes me grin. "Your mate is an impatient one. ALMOST DONE ALPHA!"

Lying to an Alpha she's growing up. "I'm going to give you some medication to put you back to sleep Maya. He will make you too emotional and you need to heal both physically and emotionally. You haven't endured that in years and you did it for your mate, I can only imagine your confusion seeing as yesterday you didn't want a mate." I hear the liquid bubbling into the syringe, that drips into the needle that's buried into my hand. "I will say this peaches. You deserve one another, you deserve happiness. Quit fighting the pull."

Again I feel a cool liquid invade my veins, "what about my plans?'

"I don't think you need me to explain what a male will do for his female." I grin and feel my eyelids flutter close. "I'm sure if you simply tell him the story, the full story no half-truths he will be more than happy to oblige to your wants and possibly assist. Goodnight Maya."

I'm slowly falling back asleep and the sound of footsteps does nothing to keep me awake. "Maya? Baby girl?" I can feel his minty breath fanning my face mixed in with the saltiness of tears. "Why is she sleeping? She was just awake!"

"It's her body's way of healing Alpha. She will wake up soon enough."

He begins to cry again and I feel a pair of lips press against my nose. "I'll be here when you wake up. I swear it."

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I consider myself a nictophilia I enjoy darkness. When you're young you fear it, you don't know what's out there so you fear the unknown. When I became a rogue 6 years ago, I was afraid of the darkness. But I spent 4 years living in a cave, living and eventually thriving in it. You grow, you adapt and I learned to love it. But fading in and out of dimness for Goddess only knows how long is infuriating to say the least. Every time I wake up Josh is here, and most of the time Riley. She does well to keep me sedated, every time I wake up she scolds me for my nightmares that are beyond my control.

"Don't drug me anymore."

Riley huffs and Josh grips my hand that are still in restraints. "I need you to stay asleep."

"It puts me too far in." I muster out, "When I'm not drugged I can wake myself up so I won't thrash. Please don't drug me anymore."

"Do as she says." Josh says in an Alpha command. No room for argument unless your wolf wants to challenge him, and though I'd normally hate that he used his command on my best friend, he's giving me what I want.

"Yes Alpha. I'm still keeping your hands restrained Maya." It's been another day and I keep tearing my stitches, separating my skin again unknowingly in my sleep. I still haven't heard from my wolf I'm assuming that she's either disappointed in herself or still trying to heal me. Was it that bad? It's been so long since I last was in this situation.

There was a long silence of my mate petting me, causing me to hum in content. I now know that it isn't just my wolf who wants him since I haven't heard from her. My eyes flutter open at the notion, "Princess, come to bed."

"I'll be right there. Maya I'll come check on you around 3 o'clock in the morning, if you can stay still for the night your wolf will do the rest I assure you." She treats me as a patient and I can't help but be proud of her. "Good night."

"Night Dr. Riley." I quip and that earns me a giggle. The door shuts again, leaving Josh and I alone for the first time since the movie night. He continues to run his fingers through my hair, occasionally grazing my neck. I'll feel his lips against the skin of my temple every minute or so. He feels guilty, "It isn't your fault."

"Yes it is." He mouths against my temple. "I should have known she'd do something like that. Conniving bitch. You took my punishment for me, you punched that man because he punched me, you punched Katie because of me…"

I shush him and laugh to myself, "I'm very aware of my actions at all times. I knew what I was doing. I could have controlled her but quite frankly I didn't want to." It's not the full truth but it comes out effortlessly so it might as well be. It's almost as if I've rehearsed it a million times.

"I won't ever let anything like this happen to you again baby girl." He promises as the pads of his fingers create random shapes against my neck. "You have many scars on your perfect body." If Riley hadn't given me a muscle relaxer my body would have tensed. "I'm aware that the lashes that were already on your back are from your old pack. But there's burn marks on your stomach and lacerations where silver knives went deep." I'm grateful I can't see into his eyes, I'm getting enough agony from his voice. "Rogues don't use silver knives and fire. Who did that to you?" He begs. Though what he said isn't entirely true, I ignore that little bit.

"My father." I mumble and feel his grip on my hand tighten. My voice is cold, emotionless, hard the way it has been my entire life when referencing that male. There's no need for Josh to know who my father is, not yet. I didn't lie.

He sighs and places small kisses all over my head, "I swear Maya I will die before you feel an ounce of pain ever again. I'm so sorry I wasn't there to defend you, I'm so sorry I couldn't defend you against law. I'm just so sorry."

"You have to stop. You weren't there when I was younger, you can't stop law even if you wanted to. I never expected anything like that. You'll make yourself sick."

For 6 years I've picked myself up, I've mended my wounds and healed my broken bones if I ever had to fight. I've done it all alone for so long, I don't expect much from anyone. No hostility, no ill will it's just the way I trained myself to be. "You've never expected it because you haven't had it. I'm here now, I'm not going anywhere and I just-I'm here Maya, I'm your male and I will take care of you from now on."

My male. Shivers run down my spine and I fight the urge to shudder. I can't move, I want out of this bed as soon as possible. So for the next hour, Josh pets me and occasionally kisses me while whispering beautiful words into my ear.

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2 days later I'm walking around. I still have to apply a cream to my back twice a day that is made mostly of frankincense to continue to heal my forming scars. I slide on my leather jacket and wince slightly from the pain of stretching. I've been tied down for so long my muscles ache. "You shouldn't wear that." He whispers into my ear while Josh's arms wrap around my waist.

"No one needs to see that."

"Everyone knows what you did for me my Luna." I drop my head and whisper a no.

"They're scars." This jacket has been a literal second skin for me. Before I had the money to buy it I just wore long sleeves all the damn time. And as a werewolf it was incredibly hot. "They aren't beautiful."

"Yes they are." Josh kisses the back of my neck and I happily sigh. "They show how strong you are, how much you've had to endure. Everyone will see how strong their Luna is."

I turn around in his arms and drape mine around his neck. We've seriously bonded the past few days as I drifted in and out of consciousness. His eyes aren't as swollen anymore, and no longer rimmed red, he finally shaved and got rid of that stubble. And he showered, that was a bonus. "I don't need to show people how strong I am. Not anymore." I whisper, they have an idea I'm sure. "I'm not going through that again."

"I won't allow you to." His forehead rests against mine as we stand in silence. "Become a part of my pack." He asks for the hundredth time, "I can't protect you as efficiently if you aren't a part of my pack. Please Maya. I don't even have to announce you as Luna if you prefer."

Boy would that be embarrassing, that would just give females more of a reason to spread rumors. "One day Josh, maybe. I know you want to protect me, but you must understand that works both ways. That's why I took those extra lashes for you. I'm doing this for your protection and I need you to trust me on that."

Confusion.

That's all I can see in his eyes. His brows are knitted together as his thumb glides effortlessly across my cheeks. "Care to explain?"

With the announcement of a new Luna, Alpha's of other packs arrive to celebrate. I am not quite ready to meet my lovely father yet. I won't be until I know I am strong enough to challenge him for his position. This is why I cannot and will not join this pack and be Luna of this pack until I settle my score. I won't drag Josh's pack into this.

I did have all the time in the world to work out any kinks in my plan, but I'm afraid now that I've found my mate all the time in the world will dwindle down to a few weeks before my mate and his wolf can't wait any longer. "Soon. It's complicated."

He drops his head in an effort to hide his disappointment. "It feels like you're rejecting me."

I cup his face and force him to stare into my eyes, "I Maya formerly with the Crescent Moon Pack accept you Alpha Josh of the Twilight pack as my mate." His lips collide with mine in one fluid motion. It isn't soft, it's not sweet. This kiss is passionate, hungry and my first kiss. I let my wolf lead me on how to do it and feel our mouths move together. This feels so good, the sparks against my lips and as soon as I feel his tongue swipe against my bottom lip I instinctually part my lips.

His tongue explores my mouth, every inch I feel him. I involuntarily moan and wrap my legs around his torso. "You taste so sweet Maya." I don't have to kiss anyone else to know that nothing can compare to this. I begin to pull away because apparently we werewolves still need oxygen but after 5 seconds he gazes directly into my eyes and says, "Just a little more." Wow, that made my heart skip a beat. Josh begins to kiss me again and I'm back in my personal heaven. He doesn't touch my back his left arm cups my ass and his right hand is holding the back of my head.

"Alright- HELLO!" Riley rushes back out of the hospital room and I bury my face in the crook of Josh's neck to hide my blush.

I'm never going to live that down.

This is all so surreal. It took a week, one damn week for me to accept him as my mate after years of convincing myself I didn't need one. Oh how the tables have turned. "You've made me the happiest wolf alive Maya, you have no damn idea."

I think I do.

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Let me know what you think lovelies. The next chapter will be in Josh's Point of View of the recent events if that's okay with you guys!

I can also do a chapter in Riley or Lucas' point of view. You all just tell me which you'd prefer.

Love you guys!