5. Kezia

Cannon hadn't come back.If I didn't know better, I would say he was avoiding me. Which couldn't possibly be true, because that would mean he was pissed off with me still—wait, who was I kidding? Of course he was still pissed off. The man was grumpier than Cass without coffee.

I was lying on my cot, staring at the ceiling, when I heard the door open. I recognized Royce's scent and, turning my head, I also recognized the delicious smell of lamb stew.

"Dinner!" I called out with a happy clap, earning a chuckle from Royce as I swung my legs over the cot.

"You had lunch four hours ago," he reminded me. "You're not starved."

"Not like last time," I conceded, watching Royce slide my tray through the cell door opening. When he had stood back, I crossed the short distance to the tray, retreating with it to my cot. "Why is that? Why am I suddenly on three meals a day?"

Royce looked away from me as he shrugged. "You'll have to ask Cannon."

Lifting the plate covering, I snorted. "Yeah, because he comes to visit me so frequently." Lamb stew, mashed potatoes, carrots, and broccoli. My wolf eyed the veg with distaste, but my human form was delighted to see my favorite vegetable on the plate.

"I'm sure it's not intentional," Royce said gruffly as he took the seat that Cannon had left days ago.

"Mm-hmm." The stew was delicious. Better than mine, it was seasoned perfectly. "This is so good." I scooped up some mashed potatoes. "He is avoiding me," I said determinedly. "It's been a week." I frowned as I thought about it. "Hasn't it?"

"Give or take," Royce confirmed, shifting in his chair uncomfortably.

"Has he taken Vance back?"

"You know I won't talk about this with you, Kezia." Royce's look was firm but gentle. "You ask me every day."

I kept my head bowed as I ate. I'd stupidly mentioned I could hear the banging when Cannon had returned the next morning after my first night. He'd glared at me, refused to speak, and then left with such fury that I was surprised he hadn't internally combusted.

The banging stopped. Royce had, eventually, confirmed that Vance was still alive, but he said nothing else.

I hadn't seen Alpha Asshole since that morning.

"You don't tell me anything, he's too chicken shit to come in here and face me, and all you leave me with is my thoughts and imagination." I looked up when Royce snorted, failing to hide his laughter. My eyes narrowed. "You think it's funny?"

"You have quite the flair for the dramatic," he said with a grin. "And thoughts? Plural?"

I threw a head of broccoli at him, which he caught easily and, to my dismay, ate happily. "This is why you're his beta: you're also a dick," I grumbled as I resumed eating.

"Cannon is busy," Royce told me, quickly looking over his shoulder towards the closed door. "He is an alpha, and alphas are needed by their pack." He glanced once more at the door. "You were gone for months, Kezia."

I chewed the meat thoughtfully as I considered the male before me. "What's that got to do with anything? I was in seclusion."

Royce rolled his eyes as he got to his feet. "You don't have a bread roll," he said, pointing to my tray. "I'll be back."

Looking between the tray and the beta, I frowned. "I'll be finished by the time you come back." My smile was wide and innocent. "Unless…you want to bring me back more stew too?"

Shaking his head, the beta left to go fetch me a bread roll and, hopefully, more dinner. Despite being held in a cell, it was easier this time. Whether it was because I knew what to expect or because I was getting more regular meals, I wasn't sure. Maybe it was both. It helped that Royce was friendlier and more open. He was loyal to his alpha and spoke little of the pack life itself, but we had plenty of other things to talk about.

At first, I thought he was trying to trick information from me, but then I realized the beta wasn't keen on uncomfortable silences either.

Royce had also brought Mal with him twice, which was nice. I liked the doctor, and when he came the first night to make sure I was healed, fit, and healthy, he had also been more open than he had been before.

I wanted to believe it was because they knew I wasn't a threat. I feared it was because Cannon used the term "mate" too loosely and they were worried their alpha's future wife may resent the fact they locked her up in a cell for weeks, if not months, at a time.

Wife.

The idea made me laugh. Like I would ever be his wife.

"What amuses you tonight?"

My head jerked up as I watched Cannon cross the floor. I hadn't heard the cell door open or even sensed him. I didn't know of any other alpha that could hide their presence as well as he could.

I finished my dinner while I tried to control the impulse to throw the plate at his head.

He watched me as I finished my bottle of water, ignoring his question and him. He stood in his usual pose, legs spread, arms folded across his chest, back straight, and his head held high.

He dripped of authority, confidence, and overall arrogance. What had Luna been thinking? How the heck had I been bonded to him? I was none of those things, and I found none of the qualities attractive.

I ignored my wolf's huff of amusement.

Quiet.

"Where've you been?" I placed the empty bottle of water on the tray.

"Did you miss me?" Cannon taunted, his eyes roaming over me. "Where did you get the clothes?"

"I squeezed between the bars, shimmied up the wall, found a loose shingle, forced myself through, crept into one of your pack's homes, raided their wardrobe, and then when I took their clothes, I came back here to this cell so I could have fresh clothes every day and look pretty for you."

"So, Royce then?"

"Or that." I shrugged as I looked away from him. "My version has more flair."

"Your version is a lie."

"Isn't everything?" I met his look once more. "Isn't that what you expect from me? A lie."

Cannon frowned but he cleared his expression quickly. "You're unbelievable."

"Thank you."

"Kezia…" he warned with a sigh as he sat down. "Or is it Zia?" His look was mocking. "Or Zee?"

I wasn't rising to his bullshit. Not today. I had delicious lamb stew in my belly and the promise of more coming on Royce's return. If he returned. "Royce is coming back, right?"

Cannon gave me a flat stare. "All you think about is food."

"Well, you shouldn't have starved me the first time," I snapped back.

"You know why I did it," he grumbled irritably.

"Yes, I remember. You needed me to want you." I pinned him with a glare. "And apparently the only way to do that is by starving me until I'm desperate."

Instead of being insulted, Cannon threw his head back and laughed. I hated that his laugh was infectious. I hated that he was genuinely amused. I hated the way he looked at me when he let his guard down.

I hated that I didn't hate it as much as I should.

Cannon wiped the corner of his eye as he relaxed in his chair. "I spoke to your brother," he told me with no preamble. "I told him you were here."

I knew I was gaping at him, because I felt my jaw unhinge as it dropped to the floor. "Wh-what? You? What?" I was on my feet, excitement coursing through me. "When is he coming?"

Cannon had lost his humor and was watching me, his face blank of any expression. "He isn't."

I blinked. Shaking my head, my teeth gnawing at the corner of my lip, I took a step back from the bars. "No, he wouldn't leave me here. When is he coming?"

"He isn't." He continued to watch me, and I felt my anger rising.

My jaw clenched as I bit back my fury. "Why?"

Cannon reached into his pocket and pulled out a cell phone. My cell phone. With a glance at me, he looked back at the phone. "June fifteenth, fight tonight at eleven. Got two grand riding on your ass, pick you up at ten thirty. June twenty-first, two fights tonight, can you handle that? Could be good odds, but you'll need to bring the savage you. July eighth, pick you up at eleven, try not to break this one's leg." Cannon slowly raised his eyes to mine.

"You read them to Kris." I looked away from him, my gaze fixed on the ceiling, fighting back the tears. "You won't have explained anything. You read them in that exact tone, and he'll have overreacted."

"Or he just reacted to the fact a shifter was bringing more and more attention to herself with her reckless, selfish behavior."

"Damn it, Cannon! You know that's so much bullshit right there!"

"Your brother told you to stay safe. He trusted you to keep your head down."

"He sent me to seclusion," I muttered bitterly, still upholding the lie.

"Now who's bullshitting? I knew you were off that mountain before I was even in my packlands." Cannon stood, his agitation keeping him from remaining still. "I'm not stupid and neither is your brother. He knew I knew the moment he answered the phone."

Fear for my brother chilled me to the bone. "Are you going to tell the Pack Council?"

"That you ran back to the humans at the very first opportunity?" Cannon's scorn was scathing. "No."

"Why?"

"Because your brother was protecting his pack." Cannon rolled his head on his shoulders. "His misplaced trust is not a crime." Flicking a glance my way, he huffed out a sigh. "Plus, it kept you away from that other idiot."

I watched him as he spoke, my eyes getting wider and wider as disbelief coursed through me. "You think I can't be trusted? You wanted me to run?" I guessed, and when he didn't deny it, I stepped towards the bars. "You wanted me to run so I wouldn't be with Landon? You are the most arrogant fucker I have ever met!"

"I wanted you here, where I could keep people safe," Cannon corrected me. "Not being anywhere near Bale's son was a bonus."

"For who?" I asked, bewildered, and then I was pacing again. "I am not a danger!"

Cannon held the phone up. "These messages say different!" he growled.

"Those messages are common to any fighter who works that circuit. They don't go to fight for fun, they go to win!" I yelled at him. "You have to be brutal to win!"

"No, you don't!" he roared. "Not a shifter. Not against a human!"

"Oh my Luna, how the fuck are we still arguing about this?" I roared at him. "You'll never believe me. Why am I even trying?" I shook the bars in frustration. "You're never going to let me out." The despair caught me off guard. "I'm locked here forever."

"Your hysterics have poor form," he told me with a cold biting tone. "Put more energy into selling your sob story."

I spun quickly, grabbed the plate, and threw it at him through the bars. I missed. He didn't even dodge. The fact he stood still and unimpressed deflated my anger.

Royce chose that moment to enter the room, and I saw his smile fade as he looked between his alpha, me, and the broken crockery. "Bad time for this?" He half raised the bowl. "Should I put it in something non-breakable?"

His attempt at humor to break the obvious tension fell flat.

"What's happened now?" he asked cautiously as he walked towards me. He pushed the bowl through and nodded at my whispered thanks.

"Your alpha, the asshole, told my brother I was fighting. He told him I broke someone's leg in the ring, and he told him he went and collected me to keep people safe. From me." I didn't look at Cannon. "Did I get it all, Alpha?"

"Royce is aware of everything I do, pup. He also agrees that fighting in human fighting rings is too much of a risk of exposure to our people."

"I—"

Cannon cut me off as he spoke over me. "He also agrees that you are a lying, manipulative cheat, who fights unfairly for greed and gain."

"I didn't exactly say that," Royce mumbled awkwardly beside his alpha.

Cannon turned his head to look at him. "Which part did I get wrong?" he asked coldly.

"I never said she was manipulative."

Wow. "Just a cheat and a liar then?" I asked him bitterly.

"And a risk to our people," Cannon added blandly.

"Yay me." With a huff, I sat on the cot. "I should be locked up." I held Cannon's impassive stare. "But if I'm such a danger, why don't you go find a silver bullet and just shoot me in the head?"

Cannon shook his head slightly as he watched me before turning to Royce. "How can I work with this?" he asked him seriously. "She doesn't listen, she's self-absorbed, and she's fucking annoying."

"Back at you, asshole."

Cannon held his hand out to the cell as he continued to speak to Royce. "See? Impossible."

Royce looked between us. "Eat your stew, Kezia. I didn't sweet talk my wife into extras for you to let it go cold." He walked past his alpha and took the seat, moving it between us to sit, like he was an umpire at a tennis match. He fixed me with a hard stare. "Today, girl. Eat."

Grumbling about bossy bastards, I picked up my stew and started shoveling it into my mouth. However, it was so good that outright appreciation made me slow down to enjoy my food.

"All the crimes you've committed, and you can still eat," Cannon grunted.

"My only crime is that I know how to survive," I told him quietly. "Do you know how much it costs to live down there? Rent? Heating? Food? Clothes? The first time that I left, I left with nothing. Nothing. I have one thing that I'm good at, and that's fighting. I made money. I never, ever wolfed out. She was never present. I am probably all the things you hate about me, Cannon, but I am a survivor." I looked at them both. "I will never apologize for that."

"You had the money the second time," Royce spoke quietly. "You didn't need to fight."

"Money is not infinite. Do you know how much I eat?" I asked him as I patted my flat belly. "I'm always hungry."

Royce glanced at Cannon, and he let out a sigh. "The heat," he mumbled. "Her metabolism will be burning through every calorie as it tries to replace what she needs." He looked at me with a grimace. "My wife, around her heat, she binge eats. A lot. It's one of her signs we know her heat's coming, even before she knows her heat's coming."

Cannon was rubbing his jaw as he watched me. "It would explain the aggression," he said thoughtfully.

"The aggression is because I simply don't like you."

He ignored me. Color me surprised.

"The aggression added onto the hunger, and the anxiety?—"

"Why am I anxious?" I asked them as I watched them talk about me as if I weren't there.

"You're a wolf without a pack down there; we're not meant to be alone," Royce said to me as he continued to share a look with his alpha. "It adds up."

"What adds up?" I asked in exasperation. "Why do I feel that I'm missing something?"

Cannon looked me over and then rubbed his forehead. "Shit." He looked up at the ceiling and then back to Royce. "I'll speak with Doc." With a nod to Royce, he left.

"Royce? What the hell is going on? Speak to Doc about what?"

Royce was suddenly very keen not to make eye contact. "Erm…well, you see…" He took a deep breath. "Your heat, it's never truly come to fruition."

"And?" I shook my head. "Says who?"

"Well, you did," Royce said with a flush to his cheeks. "And…" He looked at the door as if it were a lifeline and he was drowning at sea. "You may be more controllable?—"

"Controllable?" My voice was like ice.

"Poor word choice," he mumbled. "You need a full heat. No interruptions. No anything. Just a full untampered with…heat."

"Okay?" I looked at him, taking in how flustered he was and not understanding why. He said he was married, so it's not like he was unaware of these things. "And that's bad, why?" He glanced at me. "You look like this is a bad thing, is this a bad thing?"

"Well. You're…you."

"Gee, Royce, I wouldn't say we were friends, but I thought we were past enemies."

"No, I don't mean it like that. I mean you're still, you know, untouched." He frowned suddenly. "You are, right?"

"It's really getting old how many people always ask me if I'm a virgin in this place. Is it a fetish? A cult?"

"Your heat is stronger when you're a virgin," he reminded me in exasperation. "Are you still…?"

"Yes. Thanks for asking," I snapped at him. "I know exactly what my heat is like. It is mine after all. I don't see why that's a I need to talk to Doc thing!"

Royce was looking at me like I was missing the obvious. Was I missing the obvious? And then I realized I was.

"Cannon," I said with understanding.

Royce was nodding and looking at me like he'd literally just seen the penny drop. "Exactly. Your mate."

My mate. "Shit."

"That's what he said," Royce muttered grimly.

"This could be bad." Worry gnawed at me as I looked around the cell. "Couldn't it?"

"Bad? It could be hell."

Awesome.