My eyelids feel heavy. They flutter a few times before I can finally open them. I regret it immediately when I see all of the faces hovering above me. I try to shut my eyes before they notice, but someone flicks me on the forehead.

"Too late, we saw you."

Ugh, Willow.

He's here with the rest of my brothers. Maddox, August, and Lennon are also with them, all crowding around me.

"I guess I should just be grateful our parents didn't show up, too," I groan.

I slowly sit up, pushing them all away as I do. Maddox still holds his hands out to me, ready to catch me should I pass out again.

"I'm fine," I grumble, but I regret it when I see the concern cross his face.

My expression softens at him and I reach my hand out to take his.

"What the fuck happened?" Lennon, ever so subtle, chimes in.

"It's a lot to explain, but I'm fine. Honestly."

Lennon gives me a look that says she doesn't believe me and turns to Maddox for answers. He glances between me and August before addressing the group.

"I explained to Poppy what's been going on with my brother. I guess it's time for me to tell you guys, too."

"Well spit it out," Lennon barks at him. "I'd like to know why my best friend keeps passing out every time she's near you."

Maddox glares at her wearily as I square my shoulders and let out a sharp breath, bringing everyone's attention to me. He offers to do all the talking, but I shake my head at him. Maybe it will help me process it better if I explain it all myself.

"Maddox's brother, Aiden, is a rogue," I start.

This admission alone is enough to cause gasps of shock and horror from all of them. Rogues were not common. At least, that's what we grew up to believe. Wolves thrived in packs and didn't normally venture off on their own unless they were forced out.

"His mate rejected him and refused to complete the ritual during Lupercalia. Aiden... didn't take this very well and started resenting the other witches in the pack. The madness from failing to complete the ritual set in and he became too dangerous to have around, so Luna Eira and Alpha Odin made the tough decision to ban him from the pack."

My voice begins to shake and I try to regain my composure. There's a grim silence hanging over the greenhouse. Lennon looks distraught at the information, while all the boys share a dismal, but understanding, look.

Being rejected was their worse fear- something they couldn't begin to fathom now that they were all happily mated, but they had all spent many restless nights before the ritual worrying about being rejected. I imagine they felt some sympathy for Aiden.

"There's more," I tell them hesitantly.

"Jesus," Elm mutters under his breath.

"He's been starting a bit of an uprising. Other rejected wolves have been banding together. There are whispers of war and Aiden seems to be at the helm of it all."

"What do you mean by uprising exactly?" Lennon asks.

I look to Maddox again, unsure of how to explain it without sparking an outrage.

"A witch hunt," he says quietly. "My brother believes it's time we wolves disband from witches, end the ritual, and cut the mate bond altogether. They don't believe witches deserve us as mates, but the only way they know to sever the bond is to, uhh... kill the witches. To snuff out the force that binds us together entirely."

The greenhouse quickly descends into chaos. My brothers are shouting over each other, spewing promises to destroy Aiden and any other rogue that tries to start shit. Lennon and August are silent except for the small, hushed sobs that rack her body.

Maddox coughs loudly to get their attention again. They fall silent as they turn back to him, their chests heaving with anger.

"I need you guys to pay attention and not lose your shit when I tell you this next part," he explains to them. "It's more important now than ever that our packs work together, your family especially. We need your mates and their covens, too. I had everything under control, at least where my brother was concerned. My father made it my responsibility to handle that situation in order to prove that I could be a good alpha. Things were going well enough, until Aiden ran into Poppy. He could smell our mate bond and he- well, he wasn't happy. He's shifted his focus almost exclusively to her."

My pulse quickens and the dizziness threatens to overcome me again, but I force myself to remain calm. I refuse to be some weak mate that passes out every time she hears bad news. I'm mated to an Alpha for fuck's sake, I have to be stronger.

"What the fuck? Why Poppy? You're his brother, you'd think he'd be a little more compassionate!" Lennon cries.

Maddox shrugs, putting on his stoic Alpha facade, but I can feel how much this is weighing on him. Anxiety, fear, hatred, and even a little guilt radiate off of him, consuming him even if he doesn't show it.

He feels responsible for putting me into this mess, like he was personally at fault for his brother's actions.

"It doesn't matter to him that I'm his brother anymore. He's not the person I grew up with. This madness has consumed him entirely and my parents banning him from the pack only made things worse. All he cares about is that I'm the next leader of the strongest wolf pack. If he can destroy my mate, destroy me... the whole system crumbles out from under us. He'd make sure the ritual never happened again and that witches were wiped out completely."

"So what do we do?" Basil asks solemnly.

"August and I have been discussing a plan, but unfortunately, this may become war. I need you all to be patient and be careful. And I want you guys to know, I'll do whatever it takes to protect your sister. We haven't... fully mated yet, so that's to our advantage. Our bond isn't at its strongest yet, so at least Aiden can't use that against us."

His statement makes me blush, and if I'm not mistaken, a hint of color creeps onto his cheeks as well. I'm sure everyone, especially Lennon, assumed we've been shagging like rabbits.

Honestly, I assumed we would be, too, by this point, but now I understand why he's been keeping his distance. As hurt and offended as I was before, thinking he didn't want me and wasn't attracted to me, it warmed my heart to know he was doing everything he could to protect me.

I just hope this all gets resolved quickly and he and I can go back to normal.

We stay there a little while longer as Maddox talks to the boys about their next course of action. After calming Lennon down and reassuring her, she and I work up a protection spell for our coven as well as a few of the nearby covens. Basil and Willow come over to help us when they're done, and by the end of the night, I'm feeling a little better about this mess.

"Hey Maddox, are you going to be working most of the night?" Lennon asks as we're all walking out of the greenhouse.

"I still have a few things I'd like to finish up, why?"

"I'm stealing Poppy. We're long overdue for a sleepover, I think."