“Looks like you were wrong about her real mate, Spence. You owe me your mate for a week.” “Hah. If I had one, maybe,” Spencer shrugs. “I’ll take your plaything, then.” He grins. The two of them joke as if their pack isn’t under attack like they have all the time in the world to waste. “Definitely thought they were putting on an act with the whole mate thing the first time,” Waylon says with a shrug. Wren squeezes onto me tight, trying to wiggle out from behind me, but I’m rooted in place and she isn’t wiggling free. Spencer clucks his tongue, sauntering around us to get a better view of Wren. He grins deviously before looking up at Alden. “You think Orion would come out of hiding if I fucked his daughter in the streets?” Spencer asks Alden. Alden laughs and shakes his head. “Nah, but he might come for her if it’s me.” “Every part of you that lays a hand on her will be ripped from your body,” I say calmly. Alden levels his eyes at me, assessing the threat and my ability to fol

~Sebastian~ The alpha’s brand around my neck feels cold against my heated flesh as it settles and fades into my skin, disappearing as if it had never existed. So many voices resound in my head, howling in acknowledgment of me as the new alpha of the pack. When I look around, I can see my newest pack members standing on the outskirts staring at me, waiting for direction on what to do next. “Seb” Nickolai calls my attention and I glance back at him to find Wren, pale and bloody, as she clings to her midsection. I move swiftly to her, scooping her up and pulling her close to me. “Bring a healer to the packhouse,” I demand to any pack members who will listen. I break into a run toward the opulent house that is more suited to be called a mansion, Elara, Avi, and Nickolai hot on my heels. In theory, I could wait for someone to open the door for me, but in my panic to get Wren comfortable, I raise my leg and kick the door open, entering through the massive kitchen. I set her on the empty

~Wren~ Sebastian’s chest vibrates against my cheek as he hums the song my father used to sing to me when I was a little girl crying for my mommy at night. It’s been so long since I’ve heard it sung in a male voice, only ever singing it or humming it to myself. Seb’s gravelly voice rasps out the lullaby’s last lines, and I sit still, trying to understand how he can possibly know it. “How do you know that song?” I ask him, wincing as I sit up too fast.Alden did a number on my internal organs with his creepy as shit finger puncturing. My external wounds will be the last thing to heal as my body focuses fully on healing my more severe injuries, like my holey stomach and intestines. Okay, they didn’t give me specifics of which organs Alden hit. But based on the pain and the location, I’m making a semi-educated guess.“You don’t remember singing it to me?” He asks. I wish I could see his face in the darkness of the room, but whether it is still nighttime or the light-blocking shades are

Sebastian tucks me into his side as we walk toward the front door. The packhouse is quiet, aside from the distant sound of clinking coming down the hallway that leads to the kitchen. I pause for a moment, peeking the length of the wall when the smell of fresh yeasty rolls and cinnamon hits my nose. My mouth suddenly feels wet with drool as I leave the safety of Seb’s side in search of the food. I don’t know how long I have been in my room. Or If I was delirious and don’t remember eating or if Seb ever left my side, but if my stomach is any indication. They have been starving me, and I need to rectify the issue. Seb follows behind me as I find my way through the spacious living room and directly into the open floor plan kitchen that is probably the size of most small homes in this pack. The woman in the kitchen freezes when she sees my look of determination and she looks over my shoulder at what I presume is Seb. In awe, I step up to the counter, lean down over the hot cinnamon rolls

“So then what happened?” Mom asks, her eyes gleaming with tears of laughter. “Stupid Avi thought it would be smart to leap from one roof to the other. I mean, the one we were on was supposedly so unsteady,” I roll my eyes and Avi laughs. “Listen here, you little shit! It was wobbling under me!” He protests.“Right, well, you were convinced it was wobbly, so naturally I stupidly followed you and we both jumped to the other roof at the same time.”Avi is wiping tears from his face as he cackles and shakes his head.“And the whole freaking building collapsed.” I finish wheezing through the memory. “Your face was SO priceless.” I slap my leg and look at my mom, making a fake surprised ‘O’ face, trying to mimic the one Avi had made when the story occurred.He gives me a rough shove. “What! It was pretty accurate,” I say, protesting. “Yeah, I’m sure it was, but it’s not as good as your dad’s face when we told him we needed to hide and change our names, because surely the authorities wer