His Fake Luna... Kind Of

What in God's name was that smell?

It wasn't a bad smell, mused a slowly waking Italia, whose eyelids were too heavy to fully open. It wasn't a smell that belonged to her bed though, of that she was certain. Her sleep-fogged brain was able to conclude three things. One, the smell was actually a person's scent – the most delicious scent: fresh pine, spring rain, and cedar wood. Two, the alluring scent belonged to a male. And three, the male was a wolf-shifter, just like Italia. But Italia Furrows did not sneak strangers into the pack house, even if they did smell incredible.

Forcing a single tired eye open, she took a peak at her surroundings and was able to confirm that the mystery male had in fact long gone. She turned to glance at her alarm clock, or she would have done if it hadn't done a disappearing act. Along with her wardrobe, bedside table and TV. Oh and these silky sheets beneath her, they were definitely not her sheets.

She sat up and cursed. Nope, this definitely wasn't her room. In fact, she wasn't even in her home. Warily scanning her surroundings, her eyes widened in not only response to the luxury around her, but also the realisation that she was inside what appeared to be a... cave? Not a stone age type of cave though, oh hell no. The light-cream sandstone walls were all perfectly smooth apart from the occasional niche that was being used as a mini shelf.

The floors were covered with plush grey carpets that looked incredibly soft. To the left, there was a very masculine-style triple wardrobe and a large set of draws, both a dark oak that matched the headboard of the platform bed. The bed itself was under a smooth arch that had been moulded into the cave, making it cozy despite the enormity of the bed. Although, it wasn't cozy enough for her to be enjoying this weird ass scenario.

Although her wolf was on high alert, she didn't find herself nervous or anxious. Italia couldn't help but snigger. Her dumb wolf didn't even have the sense to worry or stress that they were in a strange cave with no memory of arriving here.

Italia thought back to her night. Had she gone out with Aria and ended up in a strangers bed? Hmm, that didn't seem right. For one, Italia didn't remember arranging a night out and two, her position as a pack healer meant she was constantly on call, so she could never get ridiculously drunk. Besides, she was fully clothed – in her sweats no less – and there was no smell of sex on her or the bed.

Despite the fogginess in her brain, she could recall going to the animal shelter where she works and starting her shift. But she sure didn't remember leaving. Italia took in a deep breath, deciphering the scents lingering. But she could only smell two individuals, besides herself and the delicious-smelling wolf. Another male and female, both of whom were unfamiliar wolf shifters.

Italia found some peace in the fact that at least she hadn't fallen into the grasp of Rayden, that dick Alpha, who didn't give a crap that she didn't want to be claimed by him. Neither did her father. You know how women were labelled gold-diggers? Well, her father was an alliance-digger. And if meant using his daughter to get one, oh well.

She couldn't even defend him and say it was because he was desperate for an alliance, because he wasn't. Italia's father collected alliances for the sake of it, not because he needed them. Truth be told, he just didn't have time for his daughter anymore. Not since her mother had died and he believed Italia was latent. It was a blow to his pride, an aberration in his bloodline. To her father, being responsible for her conception meant that she was his weakness. And honestly, he certainly wouldn't be putting her photo on flyers if she didn't return from wherever the hell she was.

Her eyes fixated on a set of black curtains and she quickly rose from the bed. Dizziness rushed over her, making her sway and stagger her way to open the curtains with sluggish, ungraceful movements. Jesus, what was with her? Revealing the bay window, one that was unfortunately locked, she noticed it was late afternoon. How long had she been here for exactly?

Her brows creased as she took in the view. Most packs had a massive luxury lodges surrounded by a number of cabins. Some even had cliffs filled with lodges. But this place wasn't on a cliff – it was the cliff. With arched, lighted balconies and smooth stairways leading to different levels, it was like nothing she had seen before. What. The. Fuck?

Below was grass, grass and more grass. A huge forest. So from what Italia could tell, she was in some kind of strange, huge cave system in the middle of no-man's-land. Something told her she was still in Arizona somewhere, but that the taxi ride home was going to hurt her bank account. Good thing her kidnapper was wealthy. Especially since there didn't seem to be any sign of her purse anywhere.

Smoothing out her chocolate-brown locks, she headed for the door on her shaky legs. She might have been cautious about it if she hadn't been so annoyed and confused. Besides, she figured if these wolves intended to hurt her then they would have done it already. And they certainly wouldn't have left her to sleep on such a comfy, extravagant bed.

Tugging on the door handle, to her horror and frustration she found the door to be locked. "Hey!" she called out, knocking loudly. Nothing. "Helloooooooooo!" Still nothing.

So, summing it up, she was in a strange place around strange shifters and she was being confined? Now, her wolf was pissed. "Hello! This is your captive speaking! Open the freaking door!"

A chuckle preceded the turning of a key and then the door slowly swung open. Italia found herself face-to-chest with what she could only describe to be a living mountain. Another wolf. She arched her brow, a cocky, devilish smirk, wondering what could possibly be so amusing.

"You're awake. Good."

"And which avenger might you be?" No, it wasn't the best time to make jokes, but she was a sarcastic bitch and when she was pissed off, well the sarcasm took on a life of its own.

His smirk widened. "The Alpha wants to speak to you."

"And your Alpha is...?"

He winked. "Follow me."

Rolling her eyes at his cocky swagger, Italia followed him through a tunnel that took them further into the mountain. She realised they were in a network of tunnels. Like some kind of giant ant colony. Her wolf was going crazy at the unfamiliar scents, wanting Italia to explore the place. "Mind telling me where I am?"

"All will be revealed soon." He drawled.

"How about how I got here?" she asked irritably.

"The Alpha will explain that to you."

She couldn't contain her growl, but it seemed to amuse the man. Soon they came to a black door, which mystery man held open while she passed through. Now they were in a huge open-plan kitchen that was surprisingly modern and stylish with beige cabinets, black marble countertops, and platinum appliances. In the centre of the large space was a long sandstone dining table which a small number of male shifters hovered, all whose heads turned when she entered the room, giving her a view of who was sat at the table. Her jaw practically hit the floor.

Cassian fucking Knight. Mother fucker.

Now she definitely knew she hadn't come here willingly. Even if she had been on a night out and gotten wasted, no amount of alcohol would have distracted her from the fact that this man was a psycho. He was kind of like the black mamba snake: fiercely aggressive, had a bad reputation, and was respected, admired, and feared all at the same time. A lot of which had to do with the fact that there was a rumour circulating amongst the shifter world that at the mere age of thirteen, Cassian had challenged and killed his Alpha male father.

If what Italia had heard was correct, Cassian had been banished despite earning the Alpha title. This had caused a divide in the pack and those who hadn't agreed with the decision, being most, left with him and together they formed their own pack with Cassian as Alpha male. They had then earned their own territory through battles with other packs and so far, this particular Alpha was undefeated. Apparently, his wolf turned feral when he shifted. Something Italia secretly had in common, though for a different reason. And yet here she was, with him. She knew the gods were just laughing behind her back right now.

You would think being stood in the presence of a crazy, unstable person would send her wolf into a panicked state. But not at all, her wolf wanted to rub against him enticingly, recognising his scent as the one from the bedroom. Tramp.

But fair enough, Italia could concede that the homicidal nutcase was seriously hot. His harsh scowl and the sharpness in his article blue eyes only seemed to add to it. His T-shirt did nothing to hide his broad shoulders, defined upper body or washboard abs. He had a build that screamed "powerful", "lethal", "dangerous". Italia had grown up around well-built males and had seen plenty of muscular bodies, but Cassian was in a league of his own. His compelling, assertive aura only made him seem as though he took up even more room than he actually did.

Ordinarily, Italia didn't find herself drawn to the highlander look, or walnut-brown shaded hair, but she found that she couldn't help but admire his physique. In addition, both her body and wolf reacted helplessly to the power that was practically buzzing around him; he wore authority like a second skin. And his hard, penetrating stare was heating her blood rather than affronting her. His eyes had taken on a glaze, hungry look that both thrilled and startled her. It made her wolf growl in excitement. The primal lust that had her gripped was so intense it almost hurt.

Great.

Portraying nothing about her appreciation of him as fine male specimen, Italia simply returned his full-on Alpha stare with one of her own. Sure, her wolf may be confined, but she was still an Alpha wolf.

Cassian regarded the female before him with curiosity. He had been told that she was latent and a tiny little thing. Away from her pack, and in his company, you would expect to have yourself a flighty little deer. But there was no fear in her expression, nor was it wafting from her like fumes as he would have expected. Instead, she was seriously pissed. Apparently he had become so used to the scent of fear that Cassian now found himself a little thrown.

He also found himself becoming painfully hard as a raw, basic hunger surged through him, pounding at his self-control. She was beautiful. Although she was slender, she had mouthwatering curves that had all sorts of fantasies playing around in his head. It was her mouth that had most of his attention, though, it was plush, carnal and made a guy think impure thoughts. A mouth that was currently set in a hard line, communicating how livid she was. Still, the stench of fear hadn't polluted the air. Maybe she didn't recognise him.

"Do you know who I am?"

Italia rolled her eyes. "Why don't we just skip to the part where you tell me how the hell I got here and why I'm here at all, Knight?"

Everyone in the room stiffened and an uncomfortable hush fell upon the room. Obviously, they were all waiting for the man to explode. Well tough shit, she had had enough of dominating males. Had enough of people using her supposed latency as a way to manipulate her and assume she was weak. Even if she had allowed them to think that, it was far from the truth. She had had enough of her father trying to force her to mate with a sleazy Alpha for his own pathetic reasons. Had enough of said sleazy Alpha who was so determined to mate with her that he had cornered her and bitten her without permission, believing he had marked her as his. And now, she had been kidnapped by this psycho boy!

Cassian smiled inwardly at her feistiness. He had been told enough times that he had an intimidating presence. All his life, even before he had earned his reputation, people had been wary of him, and honestly, it irritated him.

This little thing, however, wasn't shrinking away from him or the intensity of his gaze. And Cassian knew it was intense. He knew his eyes were so completely focused on her and every single line and curve of her hot little body that it should have been enough to make her squirm. But she didn't even flinch under his scrutiny. Instead, she met his hard stare boldly, and it occurred to him that it was very possible he had met someone who could outstare him. Obviously, she was used to taking shit from people. And her fiery nature pleased his wolf, who didn't respect tremblers.

Instinctively, Cassian inhaled deeply to investigate the scent of the female, just as he would with anyone he had met for the first time. Fuck, the alluring fusion of caramel and honeysuckle seem to slam straight into his system and shoot straight to his hard cocky, making it jerk. His wolf growled with arousal, wanting the further investigate the female with the mouthwatering scent. "Why don't you take a seat?" he gestured to see across from him. His intense attraction to her would be a good thing if she agreed to his deal.

Italia would have refused his invitation, but she didn't want to give the impression that she was imitated and she couldn't afford to show weakness so after she took a seat, she said, "So, are you going to explain what the hell is going on here?" She would have avoided talking to him if she didn't need answers. That rough, gravelly voice caressed her senses and almost succeeded in making her shudder.

Christ... her voice, it was like a throaty purr that sent a drizzle down Cassian's spine and practically stroked his cock. "My Beta and my Head Warrior brought you here this morning."

"Why? How?"

"They drugged you."

Italia gapped, the way he said it was so flippant and unremorseful. "They did what?"

"On your way home. Once you left and you headed home, the drowsiness kicked in. Riley and Cooper took you and brought you to me."

"If it makes you feel any better," mystery man began, "you still fought me and Cooper like a wildcat before you drifted off to dreamland." Who she assumed was Riley, lifted his T-shirt to show her a set of claw marks dragged across his chest. Her marks, she realised. She also realised this Riley was more amused than angry.

"Wildcat is an understatement. No one ever marks our Beta." A tanned, tall wolf who Italia presumed was Cooper – her other kidnapper – told her. With his athletic build and chocolate-brown hair, he was more her type. At least, until she met psycho boy.

"And the purpose of Operation Drug and Kidnap Italia is what, exactly?" her tone made it clear that no answer was satisfactory.

Cassian inwardly smiled. She was perfect for what he had in mind. But in order to know, he needed to tell a few sweet lies first to feel her and her supposed mating out. "Rayden West."

Her wolf growled at the name. "Yes?"

"He has something I want. Something he owes me."

"So, what? You want to trade me?" she half laughed. It was just her luck to get stuck in between the middle of Alpha wars.

"More like a little reminder that he owes me and I'm anything but patient."

And Italia was far from a patient woman. Nor was she partial to being drugged and kidnapped, but did anyone give a shit? No. "Look, maybe in your world its perfectly acceptable to drug people and kidnap a person, but it sure as shit isn't acceptable in mine."

Cassian shrugged. "When Rayden arrives, you're free to go."

Well, that was hardly good news. "Well, have you called him?" a part of her wanted to go off on a rant, causing a scene but she'd only end up in that bedroom again, which would drive her and her wolf crazy. Plus, keep your enemies close and all that.

"He'll be here soon." Cassian shrugged, lying through his teeth.

Aside from psycho boy, Riley and Cooper, there were three other males in the room. A broad with a military haircut, a gorgeous blond with caramel skin and a tall wolf with tousled dark curls and a clown-wide smile. She decided to name them Moody, Smiley and Burly. Other than Riley, who was still fascinated by how she had managed to claw him, the others didn't seem to impressed with her being here. They probably weren't fans of her dad, not that many were. Her dad was good at collecting enemies, just as he was good at collecting alliances.

"You know, you're not what I expected." Cassian tilted his head.

"No?" she asked flatly.

"Rayden usually likes submissive airheads." There was no missing the sharp, keen mind behind those crisp, green eyes. The woman in front of him was anything but submissive, it made him wonder why he knew she pretended to be so when she was home. "Funny how a person's true mate can be the opposite of what they go for."

"He is not my true mate." Italia quickly snapped.

"Why are you mating with him then? You have time to find your true mate. But if he's chosen a spitfire, well it must really be love."

Italia tried to hold back a snort, she really did. But she just couldn't help but let it slip. Love? Yeah, sure. Rayden only wanted to fuck her because she hadn't responded to his charm like other females usually did. As for mating... well she could only assume he wanted her fathers alliance for some reason.

"So, when is the mating ceremony?" asked Cassian.

There would be no mating ceremony. As much as Rayden was eager to get it over with because her dad insisted on there being one before he handed her over, no way would Italia bind herself to someone she didn't even like. Plus the rumours that Rayden got his kicks from inflicting pain on women were true, considering he had marked her in the middle of a night cub. When she kicked him in the balls she had expected him to strike back, but he merely smiled. A smile that swore revenge.

Alas, her father didn't care. He just wanted to get rid of her. So in the meantime, Italia had been trying to find a way to escape without being noticed. Although, she hadn't expected to land in Cassian Knight's lap and end up handed right back to Rayden.

Italia thought about telling Cassian she liked Rayden even less than he did, but sometimes it was a case of "better the devil you know" and this particular devil was possibly worse than Rayden.

Instead of answering his question, Italia got herself into a comfy position on the seat, crossing her legs yoga-like, and sipped the coffee that Smiley had placed in front of her.

"Does your silence mean you haven't set a date yet?"

"Oh, I didn't answer? That's probably because it's none of your business."

Cassian's mouth twitched into a smile. "You must be looking forward to soon becoming an Alpha female of a pack."

Something about his tone had her frowning. "Are power-hungry females the only type you've known?"

Cassian shrugged. "isn't it what every female wolf dreams of?"

"Oh, yes, and I'm just bowled over with excitement for my upcoming position."

Strangely, Cassian decided he liked her sarcastic streak. "I thought you were a healer."

"I am."

"Typically, healer's have gentle natures."

"I fall flat there."

"I heard you're quite a powerful healer."

And Italia was. There were three types of healers. Some worked on an emotional level, neutralizing or healing emotional wounds. Others drew the aches and pains into themselves, acting more as a sedative and helping a speedy recovery. Then, there were those like Italia, who could heal the actual wounds within minutes, ensuring a recovery.

"Do you always sit in odd positions?"

"You should be thankful I'm not sitting on your countertop. That's where I usually sit when I'm in the kitchen."

"What about in the bedroom?" Cassian asked with what he knew was a wicked, suggestive grin. "Do you get in odd positions in there too."

Cassian knew she was an Alpha female, so despite the rumours of her being submissive – which he wanted to get to the bottom of if he did in fact have a deal with her – he knew she would fight him like a wildcat in the bedroom. He wasn't really attracted to submissive females, he liked his females feisty who's strength matched his own, and he loved seeing them submit to him. He didn't wish to see women bound, kneeling and calling him sir – though the thought of Italia like that went straight to his cock – no, he liked women who would challenge him, because their eventual surrender was that much more gratifying, and it meant that his dominance over them was real. They weren't submitting because it was their nature, they were submitting because he was in control.

It wasn't as though Cassian didn't respect submissive females. Being a submissive wolf didn't mean they were passive, weak, soft-spoken or quiet. They were just never as physically strong as a dominant one, and never challenged a higher ranking wolf. Plus, he just didn't think a submissive wolf would be able to handle his full personality.

That was what had Cassian confused over Italia. She was supposedly latent, submissive, but she was also an Alpha female and had no issue challenging him. He couldn't quite work out which category she fell into, though he would love to find out.

What Cassian found more difficult to understand was why Italia would want Rayden as a mate. Yeah, it was well known that females like Rayden and his charming ways, but Italia seemed like the kind to snort at flowery words and certainly didn't want someone trying to control her. They didn't make sense. Which is why his suspicions over their mating seemed to have truth in them.

Cooper had come to Cassian with a story of how he stumbled across Rayden with a female wolf and they were having some kind of struggle. Cooper had been ready to intervene until he saw the fresh bite on the females skin – a claiming. So he had walked away. No shifter with common sense would try and get between mates. But Cooper had explained that the whole thing had bugged him, the female didn't seem willing. So now what Cassian was trying to figure out was why Italia would allow anyone to get away with force marking her, her father was an Alpha for gods sake. Surely he wouldn't have allowed that.

Cassian knew the kind of things Rayden was capable of. Claiming unwilling females would be nothing to him. And maybe if Italia really was submissive, it would be nothing to her. But he had known Italia Furrows for five minutes and he could tell she wasn't anything but complacent. And then there was her scent... "You don't smell of him."

Thank fuck for that, she thought. They hadn't imprinted. Two wolves that weren't true mates could still come together as mates and form a tight bond through the process of imprinting. But the process couldn't be sparked unless there were strong feelings involved and a lot of physical contact. When two wolves imprinted, their scents mixed and they developed a sort of metaphysical link. Even if Italia did wound up stuck with Rayden, they would never form that link, because she would never imprint with him.

Before Italia could response, although she wasn't exactly sure what to respond, Cassian reached across the table and tugged her T-shirt to the side, exposing her bare shoulder. What he saw made him growl.

Italia jerked back, scowling. "What the hell do you think you are doing?"

"Why would you cover it up with makeup?"

She didn't respond.

"Your mark. Females wear their male's mark with pride; you're covering yours. Did he force you?"

Totally thrown by the turn in conversation, Italia was speechless.

"Italia," he drawled menacingly before demanding. "answer my question."

His bullying tone had her straightening in her seat. "Look, crazy, I don't know what your problem is but no matter what is going on between you and Rayden, it doesn't give you the right to know what's going on with me and Rayden."

"Maybe not, but I still want an answer." He said in a gentler voice. "Did he claim you against your will?"

No answer.

"Did he claim you against your will?" he demanded.

"What does it matter to you?"

Cassian took that as a yes. "Does your father know?"

Italia rushed to answer, hoping to satisfy the curiosity in him so he would back off. "My father is a proud man with a daughter who doesn't shift. An alliance with a wolf as powerful as Rayden? That's the best thing to come out of my existence."

"Your mother?"

"Died when I was sixteen."

"You have no relatives who can help?"

Italia was ready to scream at this guy. Not only was he poking at a very raw wound, but her body was reacting to him a way that unsettled her. Her fingers itched to touch him and comb through his short, walnut-brown hair to find out if it was as silky as it looked. The primal hunger crushing her had her insides churning, and there was some throbbing going on in some very interesting places. Clearly that drug had caused something to be very, very wrong with her. "This is not your problem and it has nothing to do with what's going on between you and Rayden."

Cassian's mouth twisted and he cocked his head. "What if I said I could help you?"