After I finish my conversation with Felix and KC there's another knock at my door. I can smell that it's Max on the other side. Goddess what now? I tell him to enter.

"So I heard my sister is awake." He states as he walks into the room and takes a seat on the couch.

"She is. She's in our room with the girls at the moment."

"Oh, I know. I told Layla to let me know when they're all done." He gives me a lazy smile.

"Okay? So what can I help you with?"

"I need to speak with you, privately." He says as he looks at Felix and KC.

This cocky little prick annoys me to no end.

I nod my head at Felix and KC, letting them know to leave the room. After they've gone I look at Max and raise my eyebrow in question.

He picks up a trinket sitting on the table beside him and starts examining it. "I came to offer you my assistance."

"Your assistance? With what exactly?"

"With my father. You see he, or should I say we know the truth about Nova. He has no plans on letting her powers go to waste." He says as he places the item back in its spot.

I can't kill him... I can't kill him...

This does catches my attention though. Her father plans on using her, that's not surprising. However I am curious as to what he wants to use her for.

"Is that so? And how exactly does he plan to use her powers?"

"It's not about how, it's about when."

Now I'm confused.

"Care to explain?"

"You see my father knows of the conflict with the vampires. He however doesn't want to stop them from revealing the supernatural races to the humans. He wants to let them out all of us. He wants to let them face the main battle and uprising of the humans. Once the vampires have brought them under control is when my father wants to strike. He wants to use Nova to end the vampires reign before it truly begins. He wants the shifters to rule the world."

His confession has me speechless. I knew her father was power hungry. I just hadn't realized how much power he wanted. Or how far he was willing to go. That's why he trained her the way he had. He had always planned on using her to gain more power.

But why is Max against it? What does he stand to gain going against his own father?

"I see. So you're telling me this is just out of brotherly love to protect your sister?"

He fidgets in his seat a little and breaks eye contact for a moment. That alone tells me it's not his reason. Or at least not his only reason.

"To protect her... and my mate."

His mate?! I didn't know he had found his mate. And how does this protect her?

He must realize my question, because he starts to answer it before I can even ask.

"My mate is a vampire."

Oh shit...

It's not uncommon for shifters to have mates of different races. But usually shifters are with different shifters, or even humans. I've never heard of a wolf shifter mated with a vampire before.

"I know, trust me it was a shock to us too. But Nyx is an amazing woman. She doesn't believe in what the Royal Coven does. No one in her coven agrees with them. Apparently there are a few covens around the world that disagree with the Royal Coven. But if my father has his way, he'll kill all of them. Using Nova to do it. I know Nova has to stop this war regardless. Trust me I wish she didn't, but it's her destiny. But she doesn't have to kill all of them to do it."

I can see the desperation and fear in his eyes. He is truly terrified of losing his mate. And the thought of his sister being used to do it is even more terrifying to him.

I can understand the feeling.

One way or another this war is going to happen. And my mate is the one who was sent to end it. Though I don't believe she would ever condone killing off an entire species. I wonder how her father planned on convincing her to do that.

"How exactly does your father plan on using her? Nova is a strong independent woman. Surely he knows he can't just command her to kill off an entire species?"

"He knows that. Originally he was going to use Lane, but recent events have changed those plans. Now he plans on using you."

"Using me how exactly?"

I don't like where this is headed...

"By killing you... and making it look like vampires did it. He knows if she thought she lost you to them, she would be more susceptible to the idea of killing them all. He would use her grief and rage to convince her to kill an entire species."

Of fucking course...

I can't stop the loud growl that rises out of my throat. I can feel my wolf surging forward, threatening to surface. I close my eyes and take a few deep breaths.

Once I feel slightly calmed, I finally open my eyes and look at Max. I can see the fear all over his face as he cowers in the corner of the couch.

"Like hell he will! What makes him think he would stand a chance at killing me?!"

He visibly gulps before answering "He plans on inviting you to his pack for a quick Alpha meeting. He planned on having you ambushed and making it look like vampires did it."

"And he thought that he or any of his men were capable of killing me?!" I can feel my voice shake with rage as I try to keep myself from snapping.

"That is where I'm confused as well. I asked him how he planned on killing you. All he told me was I have my ways."

That slimy motherfucker.

He probably has a witch or something powerful working with him. But who and why? We need to go speak with Nova, now.

"I think we should go talk to Nova."