The day slowly ended, and they left any thought of troublemakers and awkward scenes behind. As darkness fell, the pack withdrew to the audience chamber and the dining hall was both open for eating. Jessie had an idea for a better space, but again, it would have to wait until time allowed. There was growing, and they needed to expand to accommodate everyone.     Jessie wandered through the audience chamber, smiling and chatting with people. Wishing them a happy New Year and ensuring that they’d everything they needed, we’re enjoying themselves.     As dinner ended, they pushed the tables to the side, and everyone gathered again. Alrick took to the stage and paced there while he waited for everyone to assemble. He welcomed everyone to the next stage of the celebration. Introducing a DJ, a well-known Druid musician, who began by filling the room with a variety of dance music as the hours played

          Rachel and Davie returned to their cabin. It’d been an enjoyable evening. It wasn’t their pack, but at least they were welcome, and the evening’s events were familiar.          “Well, that was an evening of surprises.”          “You can say that again. First, they discover a mine full of… What type of gem was it? To think the Iron Hill Pack failed and died out because of mismanagement and a lack of education about their choice of business. Gods, how many suffered and died in unnecessary poverty? Who can you blame now? Jessie didn’t know the pack was hers. Yet she did her job without the resources or knowing it was her job.”          “I guess it proves that the job is more than a title. You can be an Alpha without the title and have

              Ever since speaking with Doc. J. J., Alrick was questioning the sanity of Jessie’s decision to talk to her brother. He would ensure he stayed close to Jessie through the whole thing. But he truly contemplated putting his foot down and saying no. What he worried about how the stress of arguing would affect her health.              Now he pulled the vehicle up to the front of the packhouse. There he stopped and looked out over the front of the building.              “What’s up?” Jessie looked around, confused at what he looked at.              “Pups… I think it’s just sinking in. We’re going to be parents…”       

              Rachel and Davie left the packhouse, knowing now that their beliefs were correct. Hector was, in fact, a patsy for someone else. Someone he feared to name or couldn’t name. He was too far gone to give the person’s description, even if he knew what they looked like. It was frustrating, to say the least, for the investigators.              They’d received word that they must locate this person as soon as possible. The only thing Rachel could think of was to lay another trap for them.              Davie needed to step back and let his devious mate work out the plan.              “Fine. We have a couple of things we’ll need to do. Cameras in the office. Someone must install them, and

     Jessie began packing to travel to meet the new pack members for the first time. This was the second time in a month she’d packed her things. The first was the end of one living hell to enter another. It wasn’t as happy a time as she believed it should have been.     This time, though, was harder. She must pick and choose what she took with her. Jessie found it stressful. Unsure of how she wanted to appear to these people. They were refugees, not rich businessmen. But she wanted to appear in control, yet not appear as some disconnected leader.     Lily found Jessie coming from the bathroom. “Hey, what’s all this?” Jessie’s clothes lay scattered about her walk-in closet and the bedroom. “Are you having morning sickness?”     “I’m fine. I have all these clothes and no idea what is appropriate and what’s not. Choic