*Scott's POV*

"How dare her?" I muttered out of anger, trying to fathom why storm will embarrass me on our binding ceremony. She should be grateful I even looked her way. Any female will give everything to be right here in her position. I was still in great shock. No woman had ever ignored me before. I could get any female in my bed when I was so pleased. I have thorns of concubines and she is the least compared to all of them. There was no way I was going to let a woman humiliate me and get away with it. I would make her beg to be by my side and in my arms.

Restlessly, my gaze swept some part of the palace, passing indifferently over some of the palace guard. Wondering where the little Miss trouble would be. She had been out of sight for the longest time now.

As I sat on my throne, I felt a sudden jolt of fear run through my body. It was as if a stiff hand had reached into my chest and squeezed my heart with all its might. I knew that something was wrong - terribly wrong.

Without hesitation, I stood up and commanded my packs to ready my weapons and prepare their beast. I did not explain the reason for my sudden urgency, but they could see the determination in my eyes and they obeyed without question. I mounted my horse and rode out of the castle gates with a speed that I had not used in years.

As I rode, I closed my eyes and focused my mind on Storm. I tried to reach out to her with my thoughts, to sense her presence and understand what had caused my sudden panic. And then, I saw her - through the haze of my mind's eye; I saw her lying on the ground, her face twisted in pain, her clothes torn and bloody.

I spurred my beast on, pushing it to its limits. My heart was pounding in my chest, and I could barely breathe as I rode faster and faster towards my queen. I could not bear the thought of her being hurt, of her being in danger without me there to protect her. I felt this sudden urge to always protect her.

As I approached the spot where I had seen her in my vision, I saw rougers surrounding her. I saw that they had armed themselves and were dangerous, and I knew that they had caused her injuries. I leapt from my horse and changed quickly into my wolf.

The battle was fierce and bloody, but I fought with all my might. The sight of Storm lying there, wounded and helpless, fueled me to do whatever it took to protect her. I fought with a ferocity that I had not felt in years, and soon the men were defeated and lying on the ground, groaning in pain.

I rushed to storm, dropping to my knees beside her. She was pale and weak, her breathing shallow and ragged. Her clothes were stained with blood, and her skin was cold to the touch. I knew that I needed to act quickly if I was to save her.

With gentle hands, I began to clean and dress her wounds. They had trained me in the art of healing, and I knew how to tend to her injuries. I worked quickly, but with great care, cleaning her wounds and using a few of the healing herbs around. The wounds were healing faster than expected. She wasn't a lycan so how was this even possible? I stood there, confused.

I gazed into her eyes with sympathy. I've never seen someone with such pain. Such agony, and for a split second, I wanted to take it all away.

Questions about why she was here, in the same place where I had kept Castor captive, raced through my mind, but I decided not to think about it. She was safe, and that's the most important thing to me right now.

And just then, anger boiling inside of me. She had left the palace without my permission and had put herself in danger. And now she was before me, bruised and battered, as though she had not cursed a lot of trouble already.

"I can't believe you did this," I said, my voice low and furious. "You left the palace without my permission, and now see what that cursed you?."

Storm looked up at me, her eyes blazing with defiance. "I can take care of myself," she said, her voice cold. "I don't need you to protect me."

I gritted my teeth, trying to keep my temper in check. "That's not the point," I said. "You're my mate, and it's my job to protect you. You can't just go running off on your own like this."

She crossed her arms over her chest, her expression hardening. "I'm not a child," she said. "I can make my own decisions."

"But you're not invincible," I said, my voice rising. "They could have killed you."

Storm rolled her eyes, as though my concern was nothing but an annoyance. "I can take care of myself," she repeated.

I shook my head, frustrated beyond belief. "That's not the point," I said. "You're my mate, and I need to know that you're safe." I was beginning to get pissed. She had cursed me more trouble than I ever imagined.

Storm let out a sigh, as though she were tired of arguing. "Fine," she said. "I'm sorry. I won't do it again."

I nodded, feeling a sense of relief. "Good," I muttered. "Because I won't be this nice. The next time you leave my sight without my permission. You only just got here!."

Storm looked up at me, her eyes softening slightly. "What will you do? Make me suffer more than your presence is doing already? Well, I would rather serve all the punishment in the world then having to face you."

I sighed with anger. She had just gotten on my last nerves and she would pay dearly for that.

"Guards!," I yelled. "Until she's back to her senses, make sure scrubs every wall in the palace."

Strom drew closed to my face and whisper. "Is that the best you can do? There's no worse punishment than having to be your mate, so bring it on."