Marigold Regardless of what Asher had advised before, I didn’t let Rias deter me from showing Maya and Iris to the last available guest rooms in the pack house after we made it back. Ash set off for the clinic with my mother in tow when we’d arrived a few minutes ago, and Rias and Jace carried in the luggage behind the girls and me. I had one foot poised on the steps, but Rias stopped me with his words, “I was planning to make something easy to eat. I can make enough for everyone if you girls are hungry.” My heart melted a little on the inside at my mate’s offer, adoring the way he was always taking care of others. He pressed a chaste kiss to my lips after Maya and Iris both voiced their need to freshen up after the journey, promising to venture from their rooms after they’d settled in some. As we strode through the hall, Jace shadowing us with the girls’ bags, Maya’s fidgety movements drew my notice, but I didn’t comment on h

  Asher I’d overheard where Mari and Rias were off too, and I was accordingly paying careful attention to my mate’s emotions as Jace and I drove a group of males towards the nearest mountains in my territory. Hence, my wolf was howling with envy when our mating bond burned hot through my veins, telling me the visit hadn’t lasted long and that Rias was a lucky bastard. It was with a great effort that I sealed off that part of my brain, making myself concentrate on my current mission as I considered why the rogues had been zeroing their attention in on my lands after the recent reports I’d received from the other alphas this morning. I knew who was responsible for all the heart ache caused in my lands and the other territories, and my wolf was slavering to taste the blood of the traitor who’d been family to me once upon a time. Although Jace wasn’t entirely sure where the rogues had set up their base camp, I didn’t

Zacharias In spite of the urgency of the situation, we all slept in late the next morning. It was beyond necessary with the abundant miles I’d been putting on my wings, and I relished each second spent in bed with Mari resting in my arms. After throwing a few items together for the trip and devouring a pile of food, I was letting my dragon loose into the cool fall afternoon, and Asher and Mari were seated astride my back in no time at all. The flight was smooth for the beginning of the trip, and it gave me plenty of time to ponder what was going to happen once this final threat was removed. It would be nice to not have anything hanging over our heads for a change, just waiting for the perfect opportunity to lash out. Initially, it seemed weird to me that I hadn’t missed my home all that much, notwithstanding my mother and friends, of course. Still, there were too many bad memories ingrained in my mind, my father had seen to that.

Asher Rias and I walked in on the tail end of Annie’s announcement, and the sly look she’d aimed our way before making her excuses to leave told me it had been intentional. Still, the question remained, how the hell did she know what Marigold hadn’t even been aware of with her own body? Nothing made sense, but Mari’s ensuing flood of queries succeeded in answering most of my own. It didn’t shock me when she began with the most obvious, directing her inquiries at Rias as she asked, “How does she know that I’m pregnant? I hadn’t even considered the idea until she brought it up. If I am, then it has to be very early on.” I had my arms secure around Mari’s waist as she continued eating, but the other male wasted no time in busying himself as I watched him as closely as a hawk. He fixed two overflowing plates of food as he dawdled on the other side of the room, doing his best to hide the lingering pain I sensed in his stiff posture

Marigold I’d changed into my snow-white wolf more since meeting Asher than I had in the entire six months beforehand, but I didn’t feel the gnawing sensation lessening any as the time passed by. My brain was churning with the news that not only was my father not dead as I had formerly believed, but he was also the last one standing, the last culprit responsible for the death and destruction that had plagued the lupine species for years. It was too much to wrap my mind around in the moment, and my mates were doing a damn good job with their efforts to get me out of my own head for a while, their incredible physiques burned into my memory from their recent shifts. Moreover, Ash’s argument made sense the more I considered it. Our problems would keep for another day, and the yearning I felt deep inside me for these males was becoming more demanding by the minute. Hence, I was quick to strip and take off after Ash before he’d gotte