S

Kat stirred in her sleep as another loud knock banged through her head. Moaning, she blinked her eyes open, desperate to go back to sleep. After they had finally mated Zach took her once again in the shower and then again in bed before she finally mastered up a will strong enough to push him away and sternly tell him to go to sleep. He frowned grumpily at her command for a couple of minutes and she silently cursed that man's stamina.

Moaning at the loud sound again, Kat shook Zach's sleeping figure. "Zach, the door."

Grunting in his sleep, Zach pulled her tighter against his chest, resting a heavy leg on both hers.

Kat sighed as whoever was at the door persistently knocked again. "Zach, wake up."

"Sleep some more, baby." He mumbled through her hair with his eyes still closed, and wrapped another heavy limb around her waist. Ignoring the sight of his muscles, Kat felt her lungs begin to squeeze.

Another knock had her fuming. It was the middle of the night, so unless the person at the door had a very good reason to wake them up, she was going to give someone a piece of her mind. She might even use that as an excuse to pratice her Luna voice.

Giggling at her thoughts, Kat pinched Zach's arm with enough pressure for him to growl and pull away.

"What the fuck is wrong with you, woman?" Zach rubbed his eyes with a deep frown between his brows.

"I thought we've established before that you're a fatass. Stop lying on top of me, and open the damn door." She glared and lifted a finger to point at the door.

Zach grinned at her lazily. "This is all muscle, baby."

Rolling her eyes at him, she tried to get out of bed but Zach only pulled her back into his embrace. Running his nose up and down her neck, Zach purred. "You smell so good, baby. Your scent and mine are mixed together and it's fucking heaven."

"Someone is at the door." Smiling softly, Kat pulled herself out of bed and grabbed the clothes they never actually got to wear, because someone insisted they sleep naked. She tossed him his, before quickly slipping on hers.

Zach groaned as he put on his sweatpants and turned towards the door, only to be stopped by his mate. "Where do you think you're going without a shirt?"

Zach blinked at her raised brows in confusion. He pointed at the door.

"What if it's a woman out there?" Kat crossed her arms and tapped a foot on the floor.

Grinning, Zach shook his head. "Baby, almost every woman in my pack has already seen me without my shirt on."

Kat gaped at him, her arms falling to her sides as she took a step back.

His eyes widening in horror, Zach quickly shook his head. "Not like that! Only because I train outside with the fighting team six days a week in nothing but my shorts, baby. Not because I've slept with them. I haven't, I swear."

Kat huffed sassily. "Fine, then. Have it your way." She grabbed the hem of her top and pulled it up her stomach.

Zack snarled instantly, baring his teeth. "Take it off, I dare you."

"Well, if you're going to walk around the house like that, then I get to do the same, now don't I?" She challenged with a smirk, loving the possessive fire his eyes flashed with.

Before Zach could threaten to have her across his knee someone knocked on the door again. "For fuck's sake, open up, lovebirds!"

Kat's eyes widened as she heard Jared's voice. Growling loudly, Zach took two strides and pulled the door open with more force than necessary. "What the fuck do you want?"

Jared met the Alpha's glare before his eyes fell on Kat who slapped her mate's arm. "Be nice!" Turning to Jared, Kat gave her best friend a glare of her own. "Seriously what the fuck do you want?"

If the news he came with wasn't this heavy, Jared would've laughed. "We need to talk. Right now."

Noticing the serious expression on his face, Zach silently stepped aside to let him in. Just before he shut the door, Nick shoved his way inside. "I couldn't wake her up. We'll inform her in the morning."

"Ella?" Kat asked as Zach closed the door. Both men nodded their heads and Kat frowned as they sat on the couch at the far end of their room. "What's wrong?"

"Remember the photo that we assumed Thomas had sent to the rogue's leader, letting him know who the Alpha's mate was and what she looked like?" Nick asked.

"Yeah, the one that was sent back with the comand to kill you?" Jared added, his worried gray eyes fixed on his best friend.

"What about it?" Zach asked, his wolf just as alert as he was.

"It's fucking old, that's what." Jared stated, before turning to Katie again. "I've known you for a while to notice the difference. Hell, even the way you look has changed a little this past year. But this looks even older than that."

Frowning, Kat reached for the picture he stretched his hand with. She took one look at it and her breath left her.

Noticing how white her face had turned, Zach looked at the picture of Kat smiling gorgeously at the camera with her hair down and a black sweater on. Noticing nothing different other than the length of her hair that was now a lot longer, Zach turned his gaze to her. "Kat?"

Kat shook her head, her confusion obvious on her face. "Jared is right. This photo was taken before I ever joined your pack. A little less than two years ago, actually."

"Are you absolutely sure, Kat?" Zach asked, worry lacing every word, because that little piece of information just complicated things to a whole new level.

"Yes, I'm sure." She nodded with a heavy heart, the fond memory of that beautiful day resurfacing.

"Do you remember who took it?" Asked Jared.

Kat nodded her head again slowly, her frown deepening as she stared at the picture she could never forget. "My father did. It was on Bee's birthday. My parents took us to a carnival in town and Dad had a camera. We took a thousand pictures that day, this one included. I remember precisely because right after this one Mom and Bee joined me for another. It was a beautiful day that we all enjoyed."

Zach's heart dropped to his stomach. "What the fuck does that mean?"

"The question is, how the hell had Thomas gotten a hand on it?" Nick rubbed his hands across his face in annoyance. This was his area of expertise, and he was now fucking pissed. Aside from fighting, Nick was the best at connecting the dots, finding evidence, making plans. This whole thing was his responsibility to figure out, and he was beyond mad that every time he thought he finally has, a new mystery would proudly greet him.

"What if he didn't?" Zach thought aloud. "What if Thomas wasn't the one to send this picture at all?"

"That's exactly what I believe. There's no way Thomas would've gotten this picture." Jared shook his head, dismissing the possibility.

"Unless he knew someone from Katie's old pack who had a copy of it and gave it to him, which is still possible. But why would he have picked an old photo to send to the rogues' leader, while he could've snapped a new one of you any day?" Nick added, his eyes meeting Kat's, whose frown was deepening by the second.

"The photo could've been sent by the rogues' leader himself. It's a possibility we have to consider." Zach narrowed his eyes as he spoke, the gears in his brain spinning.

"Do you mean that Thomas might have never even known that Katie's your mate?" Nick asked, giving his best friend his full attention.

Zach nodded before turning to Kat. "Did you tell anyone from your old pack that we're mates?"

"No." She shook her head. "Only my parents know since they saw us at the ball, and I'm not sure who they've told."

Nick shook his head. "That was after Thomas had hidden those letters and died. Someone else from your old pack must have known and gave this photo to Thomas or the rogues leader."

Zach nodded in agreement. "It is a possibility that the rogue's leader is directly working with someone from your old pack who wants you dead for another reason other than being my mate."

"But if not because of the mating bond, then why would anyone want you dead?" Nick asked Katie. "And why would they they want it done fast, 'before it was too late'?"

"Can you think of any reason someone from your old pack would want you dead, Katie?" Jared's gaze found hers.

Kat gave it a thought for a second, even though she already knew the answer, before she shook her head. "I'm their future Luna. They love me and they love my parents. I can't think of a single member who would want to harm my family."

Jared frowned, deep in thought. "Let's rephrase the question then. Who would benefit if you died? Who would take over if you couldn't be luna?"

Nick nodded his head. "Maybe that's why they wanted you dead as quickly as possible. Before you found your mate and decided to return to your pack, ready to take the throne, which could be anytime since you've already turned eighteen."

A low growl escaped Zach's throat at their questions. He would shred anyone who tried to hurt her into pieces.

Kat shook her head again. "Everyone back there knows I'm not coming back before I finish college, even if I'm mated."

Zach shook his head. "You could change your mind anyday. For an heir to become Luna she has to find her mate, or at least choose another, so he too could become an Alpha. Finishing college is your plan, but that could simply change whenever you want to. It's a risk some might not be willing to take if they plan to take over. But who would rule if you didn't?" Zach asked, his eyes softening when he saw his mate with a disturbed expression on her face.

"Well, my cousin would. But he'd never work with anyone to hurt me. He loves me. He'd die for me." Kat announced confidently.

Zach roared the second the words left her mouth, his anger and jealousy taking over faster than he noticed. "What fuck do you mean he loves you? Give me his fucking name."

Kat looked at the way his chest rose with uneven breaths and the tightly clenched fists of his, and she swallowed the water in her mouth. God, he was so damn sexy when he got jealous. Her wolf whined in agreement. "He loves me like his little sister, baby. Relax. Even if he didn't, it's not like I'll just give you his name on your command so you could go murder him. He's family."

Zach's jaw clenched as he growled again.

"Don't growl at me, you brute." Kat dismissed him with a wave of her hand.

"Good God." Nick muttered under his breath. His best friend was an easily angered man, but the possessiveness he was shamelessly showing towards his mate was a new look for him. "A match made in heaven, you two."

"So if something ever happened to you, you cousin would become Alpha?" Jared asked, steering everyone's attention back to the point.

"Yeah. But only after I already became Luna, and if my mate too is dead. I mean, as long as my father is Alpha, killing me would do no one no good. My father could stay in his position for many more years to come. But if he resigned and let me take over, and something happened to me after that, my mate will still be in charge. If he too is no longer in the picture, then another heir has to step up. In which case, if little Bee isn't above eighteen, mated, and willing, Finn, my cousin, would then have a chance. It's a little complicated but the rules back home are absolute. They can't be changed. And Finn knows that too. Besides, he's like a brother to me. We grew up together. He would never try to hurt me."

"It's still a possibility we can't ignore, Kat." Zach said but she shook her head. Finn has always been her big brother. He has protected her and loved her just like he would've done his own sister if his parents had ever granted him one.

Nick narrowed his eyes. "So It's either the rogues want her dead because they had learnt she was your mate from someone from her old pack who sent the rogue's leader that photo, which he sent Thomas later on..."

"Which is not possible because no one from my old pack knew I found my mate except after the ball." Kat filled in.

"Or," Nick nodded as he went on. "The rogues, or someone from your old pack, wants you dead for another reason entirely. Since the rogues would have absolutely nothing to gain if you're dead then I think it's the latter."

"And since your old pack loves you and they have no reason to kill their future Luna either, then it's most likely your cousin. He's the only one who would benefit from your death, Katie." Jared continued and Zach began to shake in anger.

Feeling Zach's worry before she even looked at him, Kat reached out and held his hand in hers. "Which also doesn't make sense at all, because even if he kills me, which he wouldn't do, my father would just stay Alpha."

"Unless he kills him too. Correct?" Zach grabbed her attention and she instantly stiffened.

"Finn would never hurt my father. He loves him as his own. My father basically raised him." She argued sternly.

"But technically, what Zach is saying is true, Katie, right?" Jared added, "If you and your father weren't alive, and since little Bee is still too young, then your cousin would instantly become Alpha. But if he was too late, and you had already mated, then your mate would remain Alpha instead. That's why he must have wanted you dead as fast as possible."

When Jared nodded his head with the two males in the room, as if they all finally came to their absolute conclusion, Kat started to fume. "He is not a murderer!"

She felt a desperate need to defend her family. They were all raised to love and respect each other. None of them would even dream about hurting the other. And Finn was no exception. They spent years growing up together, playing around and enjoying their childhood. When Kat started to grow into a beautiful teenager, Finn was there to protect her and drive any assholes away, if she ever needed his assistance. She wasn't exaggerating when she said she believed he'd die for her.

Despite feeling a thread of anger at how defensive Kat was towards another male, Zach took a deep breath and calmly looked at her. "Baby, no one said he was a murderer. We're just thinking of all the possibilities. This is serious. Someone out there wants you dead. Don't blame us for trying to figure out who and why."

Kat sighed heavily. "I get that, but no member of my family is a suspect. At least not to me."

Nodding their heads silently, the three males chose to leave it at that.

"Well, what do you think we should do now?" Nick turned to Zach. "Are you planning on officially announcing her Luna? Half of the pack already knows you mated."

Zach nodded his head. He still had to talk with Kat about it, since it was her choice. Announcing her Luna required a ball, where a lot of other Alphas and Lunas were to attend. Granted, now was not the best time to have such gatherings and risk her safety in the process, especially with a witch lurking in the shodows, but it was still her choice. Add to that, the responsibilities that would instantly fall on her. "Whenever you're ready."

Kat took a deep breath and thought about it. She couldn't wait to officially become Luna, but after the amout on unanswered questions they had, she knew they had to do something else first. "Just another trip that we urgently have to make to clear things up, and once we're back, we'll have the ball and I'll start my duties as official Luna."

Zach drew his eyebrows up in a quiet question and Kat gave him a determined look. "We're going to SilverNight."