Bethany’s head tilted as her eyebrows drew together. “What?” She didn’t understand what the older girl had said. Why would she want someone to spank her?

Jen groaned and threw her head back. She raised her arms with her hands fisted and shook them. “Why! Why am I using good material on a chick so pure that she could be bottled without needing a filter?”

Now Bethany was even more confused. She began slowly brushing her hair as she watched the other female in the mirror. She was pacing and muttering under her breath. Once she laid the brush down, Jen stopped her pacing and looked at her.

“Food will be waiting for you back downstairs. You ready, Dasani?”

“Who’s Dasani?” Bethany asked.

Jen groaned again. “Bloody hell, it’s bottled water, and not nearly as funny since you have no clue about anything. But, that’s okay. We’ll get you educated soon enough and then you will be able to understand all my brilliant, hilarious comments. Let’s go.” She motioned for her to follow.

They didn’t run on their way back, but they walked at a brisk pace. Just as they reached the stairs that lead down to the room where Drake was currently in a cage waiting on her, Bethany stopped Jen. “How long are we going to have to stay down there?” She motioned down the stairs.

She saw the sadness in the other female’s blue eyes. “That’s up to you two, I’m afraid. We can’t let him out until Drake won’t kill the first male that breathes the air in the same room as you. And we can’t let you into the outside world because he would kill himself trying to get to you. So…” Jen shrugged, raising her eyebrows at the same time.

Bethany’s mouth opened slightly and her eyes widened. “Would he really do that?”

“You are the only person on earth that is safe with him,” Jen said. “The rest of us are prey. His wolf sees us as predators and, therefore, dangerous to his mate.

“What if he never calms down?” She didn’t know if she really wanted the answer, but her mouth acted before her brain caught up.

Jen’s eyes narrowed. “Let’s hope we don’t have to find out.”

Chapter 2

“At some point, the supernatural races will realize that they do not have to live in the shadows like cockroaches hiding from the light. That time is coming quickly. It is almost time for our brothers and sisters to step into the light of day and take their rightful places as shepherds among the sheep. It is almost time for us to rise up and put the world in its rightful order.” ~The Order

Lilly looked down at the sleeping infant in her arms and felt her heart clench in her chest. She remembered when Jacque was born and how she’d held that little baby just like she was now holding this one. Jacque’s birth had been in a difficult time in Lilly’s life. Now Jacque’s son was following in his mother’s footsteps, his birth marking a time of great trial. Lilly remembered how broken she had felt after Dillon left. And until Jacque was born, she thought she’d moved on. But as she held their daughter close to her heart, she’d realized that making a child with someone creates a bond not easily broken.

“Have you slept at all?” Alina asked from the doorway, peering into the room that they’d converted into a makeshift nursery. The Serbian pack mansion would apparently be home for the time being as they watched, waited, and worried about Fane and Jacque. Alina had taken it upon herself to get everything they would need to care for their grandchild. Lilly knew that they were both attempting to keep themselves sane as each of their children fought for their lives. Neither had even seen their child before they had slipped away, together, to hover somewhere between life and death.

“I’ve dozed,” Lilly admitted. “But I don’t like closing my eyes.”

Alina walked further into the room, her arms crossed in front of her chest. “I understand. You see them when you close your eyes.”

Lilly knew she was talking about Jacque and Fane. “I can’t think about it, Alina.” She breathed out. “Every time I think, even for a second, that they won’t come back from this, I can’t breathe. It’s like a two-ton brick has been dropped on my chest. I feel as though I’m going to suffocate and if I give thought to it, I don’t know how I could return from that kind of devastation.” Her jaw clenched as she confessed her emotions while attempting to hold herself together.

“They’re both fighters, Lilly. They’re both stubborn. They won’t give up the chance to raise their child.”

“What if they have no choice?” Lilly asked softly. “What if this is beyond Peri’s power, and Rachel’s skills, and our own wills? What if this is what is supposed to happen?”

Alina shook her head. She pulled her shoulders back as she dropped her hands to her side. Her head was erect; her chin jutted out defiantly. She looked every bit the Alpha female that she was—regal, in control, confident. “I will go before the Fates myself and offer Vasile and I in their place. I won’t stand by and watch my son and daughter-in-law pass from the life they were just beginning. This isn’t their end, Lilly. I need you to trust me on that.”

“Is such a thing even possible?”

“It is not unheard of. With the combined power of Peri and Vasile, we can get their attention. We can demand an audience. The Fates love to make deals. They would hear us out.”

Lilly nodded finally, reluctantly, with silent tears streaming down her face. “Do you want to hold him?”

Alina smiled. “I need to speak with Peri for a few minutes and then I will be back to take over. Is that alright?”

“Do what you need to. We aren’t going anywhere,” she said gently as she looked down at their grandson who was sleeping peacefully.

Lilly didn’t hear the Alpha female leave, but she felt the power of her presence recede and knew that she was gone. She wanted to feel more hopeful after hearing Alina’s declaration of faith, but Lilly was no fool. She knew that the Fates could refuse the request. If it came to Alina offering herself up, Lilly would be right beside her. There were many tough choices in life, but the choice to sacrifice her life for her child wasn’t one of them. If she had to, that would be one of the easiest choice she would ever have to make. She hoped she’d never find herself in the position to make it, but if it came down to it, she’d do it without hesitation.