Vane popped his neck to keep from choking the bastard. His beast raked its claws across the cage door, bending and scraping the metal until it almost opened.

"I will not allow her to be married off against her will.” Another scrape across the cage door and sparks went flying.

"Oh, she's quite willing. I assure you. She's always had a fondness for the prince."

Vane was seeing red. Prince? Prince...his mind raked through names, faces, people. There were only two last known princes. One was already married and the other...

Oh, shit. "You bastard." Vane took a hard step towards the piece of shit. The two guards stepped close together and blocked the doorway. "You're selling her to Prince Conlin. You'd sell your own daughter to an abusive, rich son of a bitch. You disgust me."

The king's empty smile fell. "Gregor, grab Sarina."

A guard at the top of the stairs disappeared down the hall. Vane opened his legs into an aggressive stance as his eyes flew to the top of the stairs. A few seconds later there was a commotion, what sounded like a piece of glass falling over, and then he saw her. The guard held her struggling body in a bear hug, trapping her arms at her sides.

Her eyes met his and her struggles increased by ten. "Vane! Vane!"

"Sarina!" he shouted, making a lunge through the door. The guards caught him and held his struggling body. They grinned down at him, laughing. "Sarina, I won't let you marry him. I will save you!" he shouted as several hard, sharp blows hammered into his skull. Then he was falling backwards, over the stairs, and down to the ground. He landed hard, his teeth chomping together.

Bright lights swirled and flashed before his eyes. He blinked, but they wouldn't go away. And then he felt someone climbing on top of him, grabbing his wrists. Vane threw the bastard off and stood in a flash. Fuck, he thought, grimacing at the two cop cars parked behind his own. Those were cop lights, and they were just pulling up.

"Goodbye, Vane Kategan." The king’s smile ate up his face.

Vane lunged for the bastard, but a guard stepped forward and caught his chin with the bottom of his boot, snapping his neck to the left.

"You motherfucker." He was an alpha, he could smell the guards’ power, and it wasn't nearly as powerful as his own was. Vane threw his fist at the guard who kicked him, and elbowed the second bastard in the nose, which exploded in a gush of blood. The cops were closing in on him.

The guards fell to their knees and Vane was about to finish them off, charge in through the door and fight his way to Sarina when bolt bolts of electricity surged through his body.

He growled as he lost control of his limbs. He fell to the ground with a loud thunk. He could only glare his hatred at the guards as the police rolled him onto his stomach and handcuffed him.

"You are under arrest for harassment, trespassing, and assault. You have the right to remain silent. You have the right to an attorney...."

Vane ignored the human cop reading him his rights. All he could hear was the blood rushing through his body, his beast howling in anger. God, he was so close to her. Could smell her scent. But he could barely move his pinky after being tazered.

He was shoved into a marked car with bruising hands. He barely managed to keep his mouth shut. As the cops drove away, Vane knew he'd get her back. He was more determined than ever. He'd seen her and thank god, she didn't look hurt, just sad, and desperate. And so lovely, it hurt. He knew and understood that look. For he’d been living it this past week.

Closing his eyes, he leaned his sweaty temple on the cold window. "Sarina, I'm coming for you, my love."

"Oh, Alison! It's so good to see you again. How are you? How's the family?" Sarina asked, nodding her thanks to the butler for showing her in.

"You don't look so great. Sarina, you need to be careful. Have you been eating?"

Sarina rolled her eyes at her friend. "I am as fine as I can be all things considered." She shrugged and took a seat across from Alison. "I saw Vane two days ago."

"Oh my God! What happened? What did your father do? Tell me now," Alison begged.

"It nearly broke my heart, Ali. I didn't see all of it. I was back in my room of course. But then, next thing I know, father's yelling for Gregor to get me. Then Gregor comes into my room and picks me up like I was a doll or something. I didn't know what was going on so I was fighting and kicking at him. He dragged me to the top of the stairs and then I saw Vane and he saw me and it was like electric power surging through my veins. I yelled for him, and he yelled for me. Oh, Ali, it hurts worse after seeing him again. He tried to come after me, but the guards beat him. They beat him, Ali." Sarina couldn't stop the tears from falling. Seeing Vane being hit by her father's men had put her in a rage.

"If I hadn't been so weak, so pathetic then I would have gotten away from one guard. It took two of my father's strongest guards and being tasered to keep him from me, but I saw it in his eyes, Ali, he wasn't going to stop at nothing. He was going to get me. It was all there in his eyes."

Alison hugged her friend close. "I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry. Good things are coming though, Sarina. Good things," she whispered into her hair. They pulled back and both of them were weepy. They looked at each other and burst out laughing.

"We are such train wrecks."

Alison nodded, snatching a tissue off the table. "Can I tell you something honestly?"

"Of course. Always."

Alison sighed heavily, her shoulders slumping forward. "I'm jealous. I wish I had what you had with Vane, you know? I know most lykaens try to find their bonding mate, but for some it doesn't happen."

"Whoa, whoa, wait. Alison what are you talking about? Are you nuts?" When her friend only looked at her, Sarina smiled. "Listen, you're going to find your mate. Why wouldn't you? And don't be ashamed of being jealous. If our situations were reversed, I'd feel the exact same way, Ali. Swear." She lifted her hand over her heart.

"Yeah, but that's what I'm trying to say. After Conlin, it’s like I can’t even bring myself to date or even to look at someone like a probable mate. The better looking he is the more I shut down. And let's face it, Sarina. I'm not that beautiful. I'm one of the few lykaens who actually has to wear glasses. I mean, what kind of a freak of nature am I?"

"Hey, now. I have trouble seeing in the dark, so does that make me a freak of nature?"

"Um, yeah, it does."

Sarina rolled her eyes. "Listen, your glasses are sexy. They're square, sleek, and black, and they make you look like a naughty librarian or something. Don't look so shocked! I mean, honestly, you never saw that about you?"

A faint blush crept up her cheeks and she shook her head.

Sarina arched an eyebrow. "Well, you will find your mate, Ali. I'm certain, ok. Certain. You are beautiful, sweet, smart, and courageous. Plus you’re the best cook in the state."

"No, I'm not. Thank you for saying so though, but I'm not. I'm too shy, too reserved, too modest, too everything except the good things. I'm terrified being here today."

"Ali, listen, terror and courage are practically the same thing. At the very least, they belong in the same boat together. I think they go hand and hand, personally. I mean think about it, if you're standing on a bridge about to bungee jump over, you definitely have courage for being up there; however, you're terrified too, terrified that something might go wrong, your cord might break, your vest might snap. But still you jump. That's you, Alison. You're a bungee jumper."