The second I closed the door behind me, my wolf – who had been sleeping peacefully till now – got up and started swinging his tail anxiously like we were a damn cat. Every dominant cell of my body recoiled at the thought of leaving someone so weak and helpless, someone we considered pack, alone and without protection. Yeah yeah I know, I don’t want to leave him here either, but we have to help with the mercenaries. I told my wolf, though somehow I couldn’t make myself move away from the door. Could the pack really protect him? Would the pack protect him?

“Go, I got him,” a voice said from down the hall. I turned to see Yuri standing there, his arms crossed over his chest. I was about to thank him but he suddenly sniffed the air and wrinkled his nose.

“Damn, you could have at least taken a shower, you reek of sex,” he said in disgust, then smiled as I rolled my eyes at him. “Go, I’ll protect your mate with my life.”

I froze then with a stunned expression. “He’s not my mate,” I said quietly.

“Oh?” Yuri raised his eyebrows. “You didn’t tell him then.”

“No, he thinks we’re a mafia family called The Pack and The Mercenaries is a rival family we’re at war with,” I told him with a sigh the story sounded even more ridiculous the second time than the first.

Yuri laughed, really laughed, like it was the best joke he ever heard. “You’ve got to be kidding me. He couldn’t have possibly believed that bullshit.”

“Just don’t say anything stupid, and protect him.” I ignored his laugh, though it felt good to hear it.

“No worries Reid, I’ll protect him,” he assured me, all serious. I thanked him then ran down the stairs hearing the rest of the pack in the living room. Everyone was here. The pack house was huge but with more than thirty people here it was getting a bit too busy for me. Of course the second I stepped down, everyone looked at me even though Trystan was speaking to them. Yeah, everyone in here could hear Matt screaming his pleasure and I reeked of sex as Yuri assured me. The hateful gazes burned through me, but I squared my shoulders and smiled, resolved not to be embarrassed of myself anymore. With confidence I had to quickly gather up, I walked through the pack to the kitchen, following Father’s scent. He was sitting in the far corner of the kitchen, away from others, only Holly and Nikolai by his side.

“It’s not the Silver Hearts,” I said as I invited myself into their little circle.

“You’ve spent the night there,” Alistair said calmly, drinking his coffee as Nikolai growled at me and stepped away. Yuri’s father was a good person and he never did anything to make me feel bad about my preferences, but the scent of sex was probably too much for him. I didn’t hold it against him in any way. I knew he wasn’t totally accepting of me, that was why I didn’t trust him with Matt. But he was a good person so I ignored his reaction.

“Yes I got to run through their territory, but there wasn’t a single whiff of mercenaries.” I nodded. So what that I spent a night there? I was a lone wolf, I wasn’t bound to a pack.

“So they’re not in the territory, but they could’ve still paid them,” Holly said, putting a hand on her mate's shoulder, probably to calm him down. Her I trusted, she didn’t care who I slept with, she loved everyone no matter what.

“Maybe, but it didn’t sound like it to me when I spoke with Elliot.” I shook my head. “He’s putting way too much energy into finding them, he wants to kill them and bring them to your doorstep to show how much better he is,” I said, tapping my fingers on the counter. “Plus I think it’s the vampires.”

Alistair smiled, setting his coffee aside. “I’ve said as much, but I can’t figure out a good motive.”

“He could always want more territory or maybe he simply wants to own the city,” Nikolai suggested, though he was still frowning at me.

“I visited the vampires too,” I admitted, not caring what they thought of me. It didn’t matter. I came here with a small hope that something has changed… It didn’t. I couldn’t stay here. Once this was over I would take Matt and leave again.

Nikolai growled at me, again, while Alistair frowned deeply. Holly just seemed shocked.

“Baltazar met up with you?” Alistair asked, surprised.

“No, but I have friends there, friends who told me very interesting things.” Of course, the idea of vampire friends didn’t make them much happier.

“Speak,” Alistair ordered though, and so I did. I didn’t mention Daniel’s name or his passes at me, just what I heard in the factory and what he told me later. Soon there seemed to be many more wolves around me.

“Riah? What would she be doing in Silver Springs? That doesn’t make any sense.” Nikolai shook his head, thinking hard about it.

“Please are you actually taking him seriously?” Trystan was suddenly there scowling at me. “He just admitted to sleeping in the Silver Heart pack house and to conspiring with vampires, right after he told all of us he wanted to see us dead.”

I took a deep breath trying my damn best to ignore the rage waking up inside me. “I’m a lone wolf Trystan, I’m allowed to go to any pack house I get invited to and have any kind of friends I want. So shut the hell up.”

He growled at me then, his eyes going from blue to wolf amber. But before he could do anything Alistair stood up. He didn’t say a word, he just looked at the pack around. Trystan cowered, feeling the dominance of a true alpha washing over him.

“We will look into the vampires, thank you, Reid, you did your job, now go rest up in your room,” he said. I stiffened feeling like he just pulled all the ground from under my feet.

“What?” was all I managed to say.

“You will not join the search, you will not go after the mercenaries, you will not speak with your vampire friends or anyone from the Silver Heart pack,” he said and the alpha power washed over me too, making my wolf cringe in fear and pain as the alpha demanded we listen to him. I clenched my jaw fighting it to the point it actually sent me to my knees.

“You can’t do this!” I yelled at him, breathless, my chest hurting. “I came here to avenge Bran, you can’t just sit me on the bench like this!”

“Yes I can, I am the Alpha and your Father, and you will listen to me. You’re done. You did your part, we now have Baltazar’s motive. Go to your Matt, keep him safe,” he commanded and even though I haven’t been pack for a decade I couldn’t do anything but listen. Fuck Elliot was so wrong if he thought Father didn’t have enough power anymore.

I roared my frustration at him, but he just stared at me, that stone-cold expression making me see red. I got up and stiffly walked through the trembling pack, no wolf was able to look up from the floor as Father’s power reached them. I walked up all the way back to the room.