The atmosphere in the packhouse was tense; everyone could feel it, they could breathe it in; the pheromones were too high. Today was the day they finally would send Ashton to the depth of hell to go rescue Daniel.

The werewolves anticipated yet dreaded it. Yes, if things go well, they'd have their alpha, Daniel back, but if things go downhill, they'd trigger another apocalypse. And this time, it wouldn't be the witches that would suffer the wrath of the demon but them instead.

The ceremony would have been carried out last night as quickly as possible but none could get a grasp of Sabrina until this morning.

So at the moment, all were waiting for the arrival of Sabrina while making sure everything else was prepared and in order - including Ashton.

"How are you feeling?" Lia asked him.

The boy rolled his eyes, "I respect you mother but I swear to God, ask me that again and I'm out of here," He seemed irritated, "Told you for the umpteenth time already that I'm fine,"

"She's just worried for you like any loving mother would," defended Hazel seated on the couch opposite his.

"Well, her excessive worry is beginning to get on my nerves," Ashton complained.

"Arthur, be a dickhead and accept the damn care, it only comes this once anyway," Hailey drawled without minding her language.

The girl chuckled inside when she received her brother's glare. At the moment, they were waiting for the arrival of Sabrina, so they could sacrifice him - a willing sacrifice, hehe.

Lia didn't even bother to interrupt them, she had far more important things to worry about than her unbehaved kids cussing each other. Gosh! She was a bad mother - she wasn't even this badly behaved when she was their age.

"ThankGod," Lia breathed a sigh of relief when she spotted Asher come in. She hugged him, "Where's Sabrina?" Lia asked, looking around for her.

"She's on her way, Lia. You don't have to worry, we'd carry out the ceremony without doubt," Asher assured his mate, walking into the room with her.

Suddenly, Lia picked up approaching steps, "Who?" she looked up questioningly.

"Oh right, I had Zukai and Gideon come over in case there's a need for extra hands,"

Asher was still speaking when the vampires made their appearance with Gideon being the first to come in. However, the moment Zukai stepped in, his scent overwhelmed Lia and her eyes widened, a feral growl leaving her throat as she recognized that smell.

"Mom, no!" Hailey was the first to notice the subtle changes that happened so quickly.

Ever since that day she stumbled upon her mother at the pack entrance, she had a nagging feeling the woman suspected something and that was confirmed when she saw her mother's nose twitch at that moment, breathing in Zukai's scent like someone sniffing cocaine.

It didn't happen in slow motion at all, In fact, if those present didn't have improved sight, it would have been nothing but a blur to them.

One moment, Lia was in Asher's arm, and the next, a wild growl left her throat and she leaped at Zukai, her clothes shredding as she shifted halfway in the air.

But at the same time, Hailey also leaped too, shifted, and tackled her mother to the ground before she could lay a hand on Zukai.

What was more surprising was that mother and daughter were too furious to notice this was the fastest shift they had ever pulled off - they morphed in less than half a seconds.

However, Lia was an older and skilled wolf. So that tackling was seen as a little divergence from her plan and was back on her hind limbs.

Hailey turned in the direction of her sister and barked. One could guess she communicated something to her sister Hazel, who stood and went in the direction of Zukai, trying to draw him to safety while Asher stood stupefied and clueless as to what's going on.

Lia, upon sighting her target was getting away, howled then rushed at Hailey who stood in her way and barraged into her, trying to throw her off but the girl stood her ground like the alpha she was. Even where she knew her mother was much stronger and with battle experience, she refused to give up on protecting him. Her mother was furious and unreasonable at the moment, she didn't dare to think of what she would do to Zukai in that state.

It was a battle of claws, sharp teeth, and strength. Lia had successfully struck her daughter with her leg and laid some deep yet healable claw marks on Hailey's body to teach her a lesson yet the girl refused to submit.

"Why?" Lia growled, getting irritated by her determination. How could Zukai do this to her? Fooling around with her daughter? She counted on him! Trusted him with the lives of her little girls, yet all he did was to get into the pants of her daughter?! That was betrayal!

"He's my mate!" Hailey growled back since they were still in wolf form.

"Liar!" Lia accused her. If Zukai was her mate, she would have smelled it off her already. Once a wolf found its mate, it was noticeable - the bond between them would be felt. And then when the wolf is marked, it's a loud proclamation to the others that they should stay away; the wolf was owned.

"Tell me what's going on?" Asher urged Hazel who hid Zukai protectively behind her.

"I fucked your daughter and your wife found out," Zukai disclosed instead. He always had a feeling a day like this would come and it finally did.

Surprise mixed with shock flickered across Asher's gaze, his own anger rose to the surface. Hailey might not be his biological daughter but he assumed the role of her guidance and father over the years. Moreover, he had been active *cough! cough* the day she was created.

Asher was angry but unlike Lia, he didn't let that emotion overrule his sense of reasoning, instead, he began to watch the interaction between mother and daughter. Why was Hailey hellbent on fighting her mother when it was obvious that she would lose? Then it clicked in his mind, they were mates?!

It was no secret that no matter what, in good or in bad times that mates stood by each other. They would even go the extra mile of sacrificing themselves so the other lives. That finally makes sense else Hailey wouldn't defy Lia's authority this fiercely.

Having been enlightened, Asher was about to step in and stop the fight when Zukai reacted before him. The man left Hazel's protection and intentionally fixed himself between the fighting parties.

Lia was stunned when Zukai appeared out of nowhere and got down on his knees saying, "Do whatever you want to me, just leave Hailey out. I'm the one who seduced her," He had his head lowered, showing submission.

Hailey growled at him which everyone sensed as disagreement, the girl didn't want him to take the blame alone.

Thanks to that sudden move, Lia's anger vanished without a trace, the duo left her confused and tired. Who would she punish? Her daughter had fought her because of a man that wasn't even her mate and now, Zukai claims he was the mastermind of the whole thing. So damn, tiring.

"They're mates," announced Asher, coming to stand before her.

Lia had a sudden headache, why was everyone so adamant on the mate issue. She was Hailey's mother for God's sake and would have been the first to recognize if she got the mate.

Lia shifted to her human form, using Asher's body as a shield to hide her nakedness while Ashton, who had been quiet all this while, handed a towel to his father, who in turn used it to wrap around his mate's body.

"They're not mates. I would have sensed it already. Your subordinate intentionally approached our daughter when he knew very well what a mate means to Werewolves! " Lia lashed out at Zukai.

She was doing all this to prevent a conflict in the future. What if Hailey falls deeply for Zukai to the point of rejecting her destined mate when he comes around? That would be an abomination! She couldn't even bear to think about the whiplash Hailey would suffer for that abominable move against the moon goddess.

"You seem to be forgetting something here, Lia," Asher didn't give up on convincing her, "Have you forgotten about Zukai being a chimera? He has two different sets of DNA, remember?

Understanding flashed in her eyes and Lia was taken aback as realization dawned on her, "She's mated to the both of them?!"

"Seems so"

"But she doesn't have demonic powers -"

"Yet carries the bloodline; your blood flows through her," Asher reminded her.

"Guess I'm not the only polygamous creature around," Ashton snickered intentionally. His siblings had always teased him about his nature, it was time for payback. He was not alone any longer.

Lia wiped her face with her palm, " I seriously can't handle this. There's too much to do right now and I - "

"Calm down, we'd deal with this one after the other," Asher promised her, pulling her into his arms for a hug. His mate had too much responsibility on her shoulder but he'd take them all one after the other - even at the expense of his life. There was nothing he wouldn't do for her.

"And the moment I arrive, I get treated to this dog food," Sabrina made an epic entrance.