After Nolan stormed out of the cottage earlier that morning, I threw away the crispy black toast and didn't make it two steps before a knock sounded on the door. Dylan stood on the front steps, a charismatic smile plastered on his handsome face. "Knock, knock, Luna!" He called through the wooden barrier. 

I opened the front door for the second time that morning, only, this time, I was aware of my own indecency. I kept a majority of my body hidden behind the door, and only my head peeked around the corner to greet this newcomer. "Hello?" 

"Hey, I'm Dylan, Delta of the Black Lupis Pack." He flashed his obscenely white teeth. "But you already knew that, didn't you?" 

He's cocky, I thought to myself, but offered the male a kind smile nonetheless. Having the Delta as my ally certainly would not hurt anything. "Nice to meet you, Dylan... But please don't call me that. Charlie is fine."

He nodded, "Alright, Charlie, I'm here to watch you. Alpha's orders." 

Of course. I narrowed my eyes. "I thought that was Sophia's job?" 

"She started training and school back up again. Plus, with everything that has been happening, Nolan thought it would be better to have someone a little stronger than Sophia around." I could have sworn I saw him puff out his own chest muscles.

"Well, I liked Sophia," I challenged. 

Dylan scoffed. "No, you liked how she would give you the keys to her brother's favorite car just so that you could crash it." My cheeks felt like they had been set on fire, but he continued with a small laugh, "Besides, I am more fun. Funner, smarter, faster, better looking, and I brought you clothes." 

My eyes widened at the last part. Indeed, a small sack of clothing was slung over his shoulder. Thank the Moon Goddess. I was worried I'd need to sneak into the pack house wearing only Nolan's t-shirt if I wanted to find any pants. I hastily reached out for the sack, but Dylan pulled it just out of my grasp. "Tell me that you think I'll be a better body guard than Sophia." 

I rolled my eyes at his condition and fought the urge to rake a claw across his smirk. "What do you think Nolan would say if I told him that you withheld my own clothing from me?" 

"You wouldn't." Dylan blanched. 

"Give me the clothes, and we do not have to find out." My lips curled into a smirk as he handed me the sack of clothing. 

Reveling in my victory, I retreated into Nolan's bedroom to change into a proper outfit. When I re-emerged, Dylan informed me that we would be spending our morning in the pack house. Little did I know that I'd be stuck watching him play Fortnight for hours... 

"Can we go do something, please?" I moaned. My legs hung off one side of a reclining lounge-chair, and my head hung off the other.

Dylan sat on the matching love-seat in the pack house living room, a game controller in both hands. Both of the Black Lupis Delta's eyes were glued on the television, where he battled against some animated foe. The man chewed on his lip, the poster-child of concentration, and I fought the urge to roll my eyes.

"If I am going to be stuck with you, can you at least tell me where Nolan is?" I pestered further, hoping that the whine in my voice would make him crack. 

He grunted in response, fingers moving furiously against the controller. But I must have broken his concentration, for, moments later, his little avatar fell to the ground. Seconds later, he had been killed. Dylan let out a long sigh of resignation and finally turned toward me. "Are you happy?" 

"Where is Nolan?" I countered. 

"There was a border fight." 

I chewed on my lower lip. A border fight? My brother always used to tell me about the volatile conditions along the borders, especially when it came to the Black Lupis Pack. They were always ignoring boundaries or chasing rogues into another pack's territory. "Was anyone hurt?" 

"Everyone from the Black Lupis Pack is safe." Dylan flashed his teeth, the prideful smile of one of the best warriors in all of the region. 

My stomach twisted. Which border was affected? The Golden Walkers? My brother and father... "W-which border was it?" I knew that the shake in my voice betrayed me, and I was worried that Dylan might grow angry at my disloyalty. 

But Dylan smiled at me, and his eyes held no anger. "The Celestial Pack." 

I didn't realize that I'd been holding my breath until I let out a long exhale. Thank the Moon Goddess... My family and friends were safe-- at least for now. 

A group of women passing through the living room interrupted my thoughts. They were gushing in excited voices about something, and as they drew closer, I caught the words: baby, chubby-cheeks, and Raegan's look-a-like. Then it dawned on me. Abby! I hadn't even thought of checking on my friend! 

Dylan shot me a knowing look. "A birth in the pack, especially a Beta, is a big deal. I'm sure Abby has had visitors all morning."

I immediately stood up from the recliner, "I want to see her, too!" I didn't wait for Dylan to reply before I practically skipped toward the infirmary. I'd been there once before, after the car crash, and vaguely remembered the direction, and the smell. I followed the scent of disinfecting wipes and blood and eventually reached the infirmary doors. 

Before I could open the door, Beta Raegan stepped out of the room. "Charlie! It's so great to see you!" He smiled, and I could have sworn his voice was an octave higher than usual. In truth, the Beta glowed with happiness. "The baby is feeding right now, but Abby will want to see you after."

I didn't mind waiting, especially since it gave me a chance to visit with Raegan. "How are you doing?" 

"Truthfully, it's been a bit terrifying. But I wouldn't trade it for anything," Raegan admitted, and I noticed how his eyes were a bit glossy. "Thank you for what you did, Charlie... If you had not been with her and gotten her immediate help neither her nor the child would be alive today."

The intensity of his words hit me like a truck, and I tried to offer my sincerest smile. In truth, I didn't want praise for my actions. Anyone would have done the same thing, and yet, I knew that Raegan felt eternally indebted to me. "You're welcome..."

After a few more minutes, Raegan led me in to the the nursery section of the infirmary. Abby laid on the bed, blankets and pillows cocooning her body while the baby slept in her arms. A beautiful portrait of motherhood. 

"Oh Charlie!" Abby whispered in delight! Despite the evident exhaustion lining her features, Abby looked healthy.

"Meet Landon." She beamed at the swaddled child in her arms, "The newest addition to Black Lupis."

"He's precious," I answered, eyes glued on the infant boy as I approached. I sat by the bed while Abby told me the full story of her pregnancy. It turns out, the baby had kicked Abby's vertebrae, rupturing a disk and breaking three ribs. Landon must have been ready to come out, since the pregnancy began almost immediately after. Due to his Beta-blood, the infant was stronger and larger than the average werewolf baby, and Abby's body could not handle it. Thankfully, her body healed quickly enough for the baby to be delivered in time. 

Truthfully, I only half-listened to Abby's chattering. Most of my attention rested on baby Landon, who cooed up at me with big brown eyes. His little, chubby fingers wrapped around my thumb, and I marveled at the softness of his skin. The women in the living room were right, he looked like Raegan. 

But even the little cherub could not distract me from the sound of the infirmary door opening, and the overwhelming scent that bathed over me. I turned away from the babe and my eyes locked on Nolan. Unconsciously, I did a quick sweep of his body searching for any indication of injuries, but he looked... perfect. 

I squirmed in my seat at the thought and hastily turned all attention back to Landon. Behind me, Nolan congratulated Abby and Raegan, pulling his Beta into one of those famous "manly" hugs. Heavy footsteps sounded, and every hair on my neck stood up as I felt Nolan approach. To my surprise, he rested a large, calloused hand on my shoulder as he too peered down at the newest pack member. 

"He's beautiful, Abby." Nolan complimented and reached down to stroke Landon's thin, dark hair. My mate's hand almost dwarfed the newborn, and I had to resist a small laugh at the sight. It seemed impossible that such a dangerous man could touch something so delicate and fragile. And yet, I couldn't stop myself from looking up at Nolan, and my insides melted at the sight. 

His dark blue eyes had turned unspeakably soft and tender, glazed with a fine layer of tears. Was he thinking of Sarah and their unborn child? A pang of sadness pierced my chest, and I placed my hand on-top of his and squeezed. I don't know why... Maybe I just didn't want him to feel alone. 

We sat like that in silence for a few moments, but when Landon yawned and nestled into Abby's arms, we knew it was time to leave. I bid Abby and Raegan goodbye before standing and following Nolan out of the infirmary. We slowly meandered back toward the main floor of the pack house, quietly at first, but then Nolan spoke. "I'm sorry for leaving this morning." 

I almost tripped upon hearing his words. "It's fine. I mean, you had more important things to attend to." I shrugged, but playfully added, "Besides, I burned the toast." 

A chuckle vibrated deep in his chest. "Are you hungry then?"

"A bit. I can try to make toast again?" I prodded his side with my elbow. 

"No, no, gods no!" He hastily refused my offer, little crowfeet crinkling in the corners of his piercing eyes as his smile grew. "I think we can find something in the kitchens that doesn't involve fire and bread." 

An easiness settled over us, and I found myself eager to follow Nolan into the pack kitchen. A few other werewolves were sitting at a bar, munching on an apple or two, but the room was otherwise empty. Nolan dove straight into the refrigerator. 

"You must be pretty hungry, too." I observed with a crooked brow, as he gathered five different food items into his massive arms. 

"An Alpha needs to eat!" He defended himself, even though his words were muffled by the string-cheese packet he had put in his mouth to free up space in his arms. 

"Especially after a border fight?" I approached the subject warily, knowing that Nolan might not want to discuss the battle. 

He grunted in agreement, set the food down on the counter, and began preparations for what seemed to be a ham and cheese sandwich. "Especially after I had to keep Alpha Niklaus from ripping one of my wolves apart. He thought we were hunting on Celestial Pack territory." 

I frowned. I'd heard such accusations before in the Golden Walker's Pack. "Well... were we hunting on his territory?" 

Nolan stopped spreading mayonnaise on his bread for a moment, undoubtedly offended by my question. "No. It was a rogue, and they got the scents mixed up."

I nodded slowly, popped a single grape in my mouth, and chewed. "I don't think Dominic is the one hunting"

"You're quick to defend him," Nolan growled. 

I rolled my eyes. "I'm just using common sense. He knows that you have an eye on him. Why would he so blatantly disrespect your rules?"

"You don't know my brother." My mate tried to dismiss the subject, but I was persistent. 

"Well, I can just ask him tonight."

"Tonight?" Nolan's voice turned to ice, and his knuckles bleached as his grip strengthened on the kitchen knife. 

I gulped. "Yes. I'm going to train with him tonight. Okay?"

I doubted Nolan had ever been spoken to in such a way, and it showed in his reaction. He forgot all about his ham sandwich, and approached me with long strides. His very essence screamed at me to submit, but I kept my eyes on his. "There's no way in hell..." Nolan seethed, the muscles in his jaw twitched. 

He towered over me. My knees felt wobbly, and I fought every urge to fall to his feet. "I trust him, Nolan." I knew the words might hurt him. I knew that they would reveal the underlying attachment that I felt for Dominic. But every syllable was true. I trusted Dominic, and I would not be kept from him. Not when I felt like he could teach me how to defend myself from the hybrids.

 Nolan swallowed, his hands balled into tight fists. "Fine. Go. Just don't expect shit from me when he fucks you over."

The words hit me like a punch to the gut. Nolan grabbed his food and stormed out of the kitchen.