Voices wake me, breaking the peaceful silence that reigned in Moon-Goddess' nest. I slowly open my eyes, and the bright light almost hurts my eyes. As I sit on the bed, I recognize the sweet smell that envelops me. As I stretch my arms, the oversized shirt on my body caresses my skin. The simple contact of Alec's shirt on me creates a terrible need to share a moment alone with him.

Will it really stop after Alec marks me, Selene?

It's genuinely annoying to be unable to focus properly without your mind riding horny. I would not mind if we were together in our home, but right now is not really good timing.

You will be able to think about something else. But our mates are so hot, so obviously we won't stop craving them.

Selene chortles, which causes me to sigh. This wolf might be the one to save the world, but she just behaves like a full-of-hormones teenager.

Or a pregnant woman.

She gets a point. As I am about to respond, I hear again the voices that woke me a few minutes ago.

As I scan my surroundings, I acknowledge I am in the prison hospital. That's a small medical wing, but sufficient, as we don't have real jailbirds most of the time. Plus, we have the actual hospital if more serious care had to be provided to prisoners. We are not heartless. We would not let someone pass away because they misstepped.

The voices are coming from the nurse's office, just a few steps away from my bed. Do they actually assume that a curtain and a half-closed door will be enough to block people from hearing them?

"What were you thinking? This is the most idiotic thing I've ever heard." This is Kate. She is mad at someone.

On a scale of one to ten, I would say Kate is on level eight of 'I could rip your head off right now, whoever you are.' I have no idea who the poor soul is, but they will have a bad time.

"I do what I consider is the best for my family. Do you think it is easy? Does the almighty Reader female Beta want to take Royale's decisions? Just go ahead, Miss Know-it-all." Okay, so the 'poor' soul is Alec, and he sounds irate too. He sounds like a nine, and his opponent is my adamant best friend.

"I don't fucking care about how you feel, Alec. And I don't fucking care about your Royale's decisions. Guess what? I don't care about your throne, nor who rules over the lycans and wolves right now. All I see is that you acted foolishly, obviously thinking with your dick and that my best friend's life is threatened because of you," Kate screams at him. I did not assume Kate could be that mad at someone, actually. Neither did I judge she would have enough guts to disdain a member of the Royale family that easily.

"I think with my dick. Seriously? You had sex with the Beta in almost every room in the packhouse. Your smell may not be enough for a normal wolf to capture it, but goddamn, it is for a lycan," Alec answers in a demonic tone.

"That's not the same. We are not lycans. We are not getting pregnant easily because our species is endangered, you stupid. Have you heard of condoms? That's great to avoid kids when you're a dickhead," Kate replies without even considering what she says.

Alec growls loudly, soon answered by another man's growl. That should be Caleb.

"Okay, I think we all need to relax. Kate, you should apologize to Prince Alexander," Eli's voice says.

"He should apologize for getting Liv pregnant. He was stupid and selfish. He should have known," Kate keeps on shouting.

"You're not helping," Elijah answers.

"Kate, I don't want to command you to apologize, but if you don't change your mind..." Brilliant. Eli is angry too. How can a she-wolf manage to enrage two Alpha wolves in merely some minutes?

I get up, but my legs are weaker than I anticipated. I sit on the bed and am about to call for help when the curtain opens.

"Your mate and your best friend are two crazy people, you know? Let me help you," Anya declares with a smile.

"Portia told me about your private discussion. I'm Anya." I've not noticed before how gorgeous Anya was. She has long golden blond hair and two pale blue eyes. She could be some princess, coming straight from a Viking legend. She is around 5'7, and her body is very slim but still muscular.

Definitely a very beautiful woman.

"Nice to really meet you, Anya. And already playing your Gamma role," I answer with a smile.

"Thanks for the honor, Alpha Olivia." She helps me to stand on my legs.

"Olivia or even Liv. You're my Gamma, remember? We can skip the title when we are in private," I reply. I don't add that I hate the idea of being called Alpha, as my brother is the Alpha of this pack, and my mate is the heir to the throne. That's too many Alphas for me right now.

"As you want, Liv," she answers politely. Then we make our way to the office, which is strangely quiet. I hope they did not kill each other.

As I push on the door, Anya lets me go. Alec has his claws staggering into the poor office chair while Caleb maintains Kate in his arms.

Alec's eyes are dark green, showing Ares could take over any minute. Kate's face is red, and some tears are watering her eyes. Both of them are in a frantic state of mind.

"We should all breathe and try to calm down. I think we don't need more tension," I calmly voice.

Before I can react, Kate escapes Caleb's arms and jumps on me.

"Liv. Are you okay? Are you feeling bad?" she questions me without letting me a second to answer her queries.

"And what are you doing here?" She barks as she turns to Anya. Anya lets out a loud growl, and I must put my hand on her arms to lull her.

"Easy, Kate. This is Anya, and she is my Gamma. Don't bark at her. She is here to protect me." I perceive all eyes are on Anya and me.

I move toward Alec, and before I can speak a word, he sits on the chair before seating me on his lap. The moment our bodies contact, Alec relaxes, and his anger lessens.

I nod at Caleb, who walks to Kate and wraps his arms around her.

"I'm fine, really."

"So, you're a Gamma?" Jackson asks Anya.

"That's what Liv decided. I am honored. I am Anya," she says, smiling at Jackson. Jackson grabs her hand and shakes it.

"Nice to meet you, Anya. I'm Jackson, Prince Alexander's best friend and Beta. Well, not officially, as he is still a Prince and not yet the King, but you've got the idea," he says with a joyful tone. Definitely, this man is something.

"So, can I know what was the point with all those growlings and nice terms you sent to one another?" I ask calmly, clearly addressing Alec and Kate.

"Your mate got you pregnant. That's the problem," Kates answers roughly. So my pregnancy is a problem? What is wrong with her?

"What's the problem with being pregnant? We love each other," I reply, frowning at her. Alec breathes deeply, his head engulfed in the nape of my neck.

"She thinks I was stupid," Alec starts, but I interrupt him.

"We were having sex together. So you're not the one to blame," I tell him.

"Yes, but he should have known better. He was conscious lycans' pregnancies were fast to come because they can have pups only with their fated mates. He only tried to hook you and leave you no choice but to accept him," Kate answers.

I burst into laughter at her statement. Unmistakably, she did not expect my reaction as she stares at me thoughtfully.

"Kate, Alec was an absolute gentleman, and I was the one asking for sex. I did not think about being pregnant. We both did not think about a potential pregnancy. Even if he knew I was not really wolfless...." I speak calmly, but I catch guilt extending in Alec.

"I'm okay, Alec. I'm good at having pups. I already love them very much, and I would not change a thing about it," I say, kissing his lips softly to help him relax.

I turn to Anya, as I need both my new teammates to prepare the next act of our ultimately going crazy plan.

"Go get Malia. I want you two to be here to arrange the next days." She bows and goes out of the room.

"What happened in the woods, Olivia?" Elijah asks me, coming closer to me to sit on the desk near our chair.

"The moment I heard you howl to alarm everyone about the attack, wolves showed up. There were not from here. One of them, as you witnessed, was Nick." Alec growls as I mention my former creepy friend, who is now only the creepy, incensed wolf.

"He said he came to get me, as he wants me to be his chosen mate. To state that he is thoroughly out of common sense would be too nice. He killed his father to take over his pack and put her mother under medicines so she does not end her life," I say, my apprehension contained by Alec's brawny arms around my waist. Without his presence, I would probably fall into tears.

"Later you guys came here to rescue me," I say, moving my head to Eli, then Jackson.

"After that, I ran to the packhouse, as Jackson asked me, but I stopped as I perceived a presence. I found Anya, whom you met. She was restrained by a man, who was her mate. However, she killed him to join me and protect me, as he looked downright insane." I keep telling the story.

"And he was," Anya adds as she comes back with Malia by her side.

They stay by the door as all eyes stare at them.

"When Anya told me that there was another gray wolf with them, we searched for her. Alec informed me one woman was kept by another lycan near the high school. When we arrived there, Nick was already there. We successfully freed Malia, thanks to her mate who finally reversed his mind and realized his mistake," I tell, smiling softly at Malia, who beams back at me.

"In the end, you arrived. Amber pursued Nick, who ran away when he saw you," I finally expose while Alec busses my neck.

"And then this dumb-ass vanished," Jackson adds, booming. As I look at Alec, he exhales.

"When I joined Amber, we arrived at the river, in the North of the packhouse. She claimed she had injured him and he slipped into the river. Her hands had Nick's blood on them, but none of my men could find the body. I don't like it. Amber is a good fighter, and she would not have let the body slip away, for sure. She likes to prove she is victorious. I am sure she knows something, and I am ninety percent sure we don't need you to go away to find a way for her to confide everything," Alec says.

"I think we should stick to the last part of our plan. Amber is not the mastermind behind these attacks, and I truly believe you can get more information if I'm out of the picture. Plus, I won't be alone. We have our things perfectly planned, and now that Kate knows about me, she can come with me. Nobody will find it weird if I leave the pack with my best friend after what happened," I reply.

"You take Anya and Malia with you," Alec starts to argue.

"No, I have another mission for them," I state, cutting him short.

"More important than protecting you?" Alec growls at me.

"In fact, Anya is pregnant. So I prefer her to be here. Plus, I want Elijah to put them with our three guests from the White Moon Pack," I say, turning to my brother.

"Make sure you go with Alec when you meet them. You two girls will wait outside until Alec meets them, then you will stick to their shoes no matter what," I add, turning to my two Gammas. I face Alec again once I'm done instructing the girls. Before he has a chance to question me, I kiss his lips lovingly.

"You'll understand, I promise you." I know he wants to ask more about it, but he keeps his mouth quiet and only nods.

"So now, what? We stick to what we planned before Amber decided to join you in the city?" Jackson asks.

"Yeah, just go back to your thing. I'm going to get dressed, and after that, we'll play our last scene," I say, getting up. Jackson comes near me and hugs me.

"Be careful, Princess. You're not alone in this. Call us whenever you need it, okay?" Jackson asks me. I nod, and he lets go of me. Before I can breathe, Kate brings me into her arms.

"I don't have any idea about what your plan is, but be careful. I'll see you soon. I love you, Liv," Kate speaks before Caleb takes her hand to pull her away. Then, he kisses my forehead, whispering good luck and telling me to be prudent.

"Don't do anything stupid, big sister. We'll try to end it quickly so we can bring you back home quickly. Take care of this little thing inside of you," Eli says, blinking at me.

I love you, Liv. Even if you've got Alec, I'm still your twin. I've got your back whenever you need me.

Hearing Elijah in my head is so great. In a way, I've been missing it without admitting it. Knowing that we can still mind-link naturally warms my heart.

Take care of both the babies, by the way. Did not want to say it in front of Caleb and Kate. I'll see you later, sis'.

"Be careful, Olivia. I promise we'll take care of the people you want us to look after," Malia says. She always sounds joyful, just like her wolf. This girl looks unquestionably optimistic, and I can't wait to know her better.

Anya does not say a word. She just nods with a smile.

Thus, I leave the office, Alec gripping my hand. We return to my bed, and I take the clothes on the chair.

I take off Alec's shirt to put them on. Simple jeans and a dark T-shirt, with some trainers. Perfectly casual and comfortable.

"You're sure you want to do this, Liv? We can find another way," Alec says.

"We'll be okay. Do you have the bracelet?" I ask him.

He takes it out of his pocket and gives it to me.

"Do you mind explaining to me?" Alec asks me, pouting.

"You'll see soon. I don't want to ruin the surprise," I say before I chuckle. He hugs me tightly before he kisses my lips with devotion.

"I love you more than everything, little wolf. You do nothing crazy, and within a maximum of three days, we are back together. Whenever you want to stop it, you mind-link me or call me, and we end everything. I'll never let you down. Are we clear, Liv?" he asks me.

"I promise you, Alec. We're gonna be okay, I'm sure of it. I love you more than everything," I answer. Finally, I kiss his lips again, inhale his sweet scent deeply, and let go of him. I plod away, leaving the infirmary and so the prison.

Here we go for our ultimate show.