Lana's P.O.V. It was beautiful. Everything about the way the trees provided shade and protection, hanging high over us, and how open the space was had me daydreaming about the future that we could have. I wanted to have it with Oliver more than anything, and it was finally happening. He was mine. We were going to build a home. Perhaps we could even expand our family when the time was right. The need to ask him how it went with his father was on the tip of my tongue, but he seemed so happy compared to earlier. I didn't want to bring up those bad memories when we were having such a nice time. But, no matter what, I was going to make sure to check on him. Before we went to bed, I would sit him down and make sure that he was okay. He had experienced trauma that would stay deep in the core of who he was for the rest of his life. So far, he had fought it. He had come out the other side as a good and loving man. But that didn't mean the pain was not still there, that the wounds did not n

Lana's P.O.V.The dark mahogany wood of the large brown table was particularly interesting. The lines and swirls of the knots in the polished wood were a lot less intimidating than the wolves surrounding it. I had never seen so many large men and women in such a confining space.Each body that was added to the room seemed to take away more oxygen from around us, sending me into an internal spiral. I knew everything was okay, and I didn't want to embarrass Oliver by falling victim to my demons and having an outburst or panic attack. Yet, the lack of freedom, and the fact that every single person in the room with me could easily overpower me, made the walls close in just a bit further.My mind was in a spiral, but my body was frozen, my fingers gripping the arms of the chair in fists so tight I could no longer feel my hands.The sound of the door slamming closed made me jump, and Oliver quickly grabbed the hand closest to him, prying my fin

Lana's P.O.V. The rest of the day was tense. When the kids were let out of the safe room, Maddie had a collection of new stories that she wanted to share with me. Meanwhile, Oliver didn't relax until his father had left the pack house and he had Maddie back, clinging to him like a koala bear. I tried to talk to him about what happened when we were finally in the privacy of our bedroom, but he resisted, and I didn't want to force him. He had dealt with a lot of stressful encounters since coming home, and I wanted him to know that he didn't need to worry about that with me. We were a team. Yet, as I lay in bed, staring at the slowly rotating ceiling fan that was gently circulating the air and listening to the hum of the heater, my fears got the best of me. It was only a week until the full moon. With the impending war and all of the drama with Mr. Blake, we never got the chance to finish our conversation about me shifting.

Oliver's P.O.V. The rogues had moved in further, inching forward each hour. I had been fine with my order to stay hidden, not wanting to risk any of my pack members by exposing myself and causing the rogues to attack. There was a chance that they were surrounding our neighboring packs because they weren't sure which one I was in. Why they wanted me so badly, I didn't know. Surely, the few dozen I had taken down compared to their current size wasn't that big a loss to them, yet they were waiting. Each day, they were just waiting, watching, and inching forward. They were taking the land that my family had fought for generations to protect. What was worse was their smell was slowly permeating our lands the longer they stayed at our border. The disgusting stench of their unbathed and dirty bodies only slightly covered the smell of their rotting skin and decaying muscles. A sure sign they had been rogues for a long time. A wolf could only go so long without a pack before the wolf and

Lana's P.O.V. My mind kept telling me to grab Maddie and run, to get as far away from the pack and the pain as possible. But my heart had me stumbling next to Oliver, gripping his hand tightly as he walked me to his land. The tall cover of trees let in streams of moonlight between the branches, and I took in a deep breath as we stopped under the largest section of moonlight. Oliver turned, moving to stand in front of me as he wrapped his arms around me and pressed a kiss to my forehead. "Are you ready, my mate?" It felt like a trick question. Was I ready to have all of my bones break and realign as I sprouted fur and transformed into a wolf? No. Absolutely not. Was I ready to be able to defend myself and my daughter against the upcoming threat? Fuck yes. The feigned confidence I had been holding onto faltered as I felt the muscles in my arm twitch, and I tensed as I waited for the bone to break. "Once it starts, it will be over very quickly. You just have to stay calm and focus on