"Jeez!" Dylan complained from the back seat, where he had been forced to share oxygen with our hybrid captive. "Guys, she's starting to wake up!"

"Hit her with another round of sedatives," Sophia suggested, not once looking up from her cellphone.

Nolan's blue eyes flashed in the rearview mirror, taking a moment to gauge the situation. "No, don't give her another shot. We need her to be strong enough to shift when we reach the Golden Walkers."

"And how much longer will that be?" Dylan's voice rose an octave in fear.

We had crossed over the Golden Walkers' borders almost twenty minutes ago, and, although no wolves ran out to meet our SUV, they had to know that we were here. I figured a scout had reported our arrival to Sehan and the pack now congregated at the house to greet us... Whether that greeting would be friendly, I had no clue.

"Ten minutes, give or take," Raegan announced, glancing at the half-folded paper map that sat in his lap.

He was right. In ten minutes, we would reach the pack house that I had grown up in. My knee bobbed incessantly up and down, and I caught myself nibbling at my fingernails more times than I could count. I'd imagined this moment so many times since leaving on the night of the Summer Solstice, and I desperately wished that I could tell Nolan to turn around. I didn't want to go through with the plan. I wanted to go back to the Black Lupis Pack to continue ignoring all of my problems.

Of course, if I said this out loud, I knew that I would have to endure endless mockery at the hands of Dylan, so I stayed silent and stared out the car window. Landmarks and memories of my childhood came flashing through the glass: the Cherry Tree Grove that Lizzie and I played in as kids, the birdhouse that I'd helped Jeremy build when I was five, the park bench where Jesse Waters had tried to kiss me after our first date.

We passed the Golden Walkers' training grounds, where a dozen werewolves stood like statues, hackles raised, as we drove by.

Dylan scoffed at the sight and started to smack-talk about his ability to beat any Golden Walker in a fight, which earned a chuckle from Sophia and Raegan. But Nolan's blue eyes locked on mine in the rearview mirror, concern clouding his piercing orbs. I gave him my best smile, a half-hearted attempt to conceal the nerves that chewed relentlessly at my stomach.

Our SUV pulled directly to the front of the Southern-Style mansion, where at least two dozen wolves stood waiting for our arrival. A select few Golden Walkers stood in their human form, including Alpha Sehan, my father, Jeremy. Not a single one of them smiled at the sight of our car rumbling to a halt in front of their pack house.

"Who is that? Clinging to Alpha Sehan like a leech?" Sophia grumbled, narrowing her eyes through the tinted glass at the blonde bombshell that stood with her arm looped through Alpha Sehan's.

"Is that...?" Nolan pondered aloud, and I blanched.

"Oh, Moon Goddess, it's Savannah!" I couldn't mask the distaste that leaked into my words as I slowly unbuckled.

Dylan clamored forward, as if to get a better look at the beautiful blonde. "You mean Broken Valley Pack Beauty Queen, Savannah?"

None of us bothered to answer him. There was no doubt about it: The beautiful blonde Alpha's daughter had somehow managed to claw her way into the Golden Walkers Pack. And, judging by the way she held onto Sehan's arm, she'd wasted no time in securing her place as Luna.

My nose crinkled in disgust. Sehan is old enough to be her father!

I must not have been the only one displaying an adverse expression, for Nolan looked back into the backseat and reminded us to be on our best behavior. "I don't think Sehan would take kindly to our insulting his new Luna..."

Raegan painted a grim smirk on his lips, "And he's undoubtedly wondering why we are all sitting in this car chatting."

Of course, he was right. But I'd appreciated the momentary distraction.

Nolan and Raegan stepped out of the car first, and the wolves in the clearing visibly bristled at the sight of another Alpha uninvited on their land. Sophia, Dylan, and I followed suit.

I fought the urge to cower behind the nearest Black Lupis packmember, especially when a collective shift passed over my former pack members. I thought a heard one or two of them growl at the sight of me, undoubtedly a result of the poisonous rumors that Sehan spread after our talk two weeks ago. I ducked my head in shame.

Stop! I immediately ordered myself. You're a damn Luna! Act like one.

So I straightened my shoulders, tilted my chin upwards, and leveled a hard glare at the surrounding wolves as I strode to Nolan's side. My mate offered me the smallest of smiles, and I thought I noticed something like pride gleaming in his gaze, which only bolstered my confidence. Sophia, Dylan, and Raegan fell into ranks behind us, a force to be reckoned with.

Sehan broke free of Savannah's hold and stepped forward to confront us, leaving my father and Jeremy behind him. "Alpha Nolan... I can't say I'm pleased to see you again so soon."

My fingers clenched into a tight fist at the blatant disrespect in Sehan's voice, and I wished that Nolan would wipe the ugly sneer off of his rival's face. Instead, Nolan simply replied, "I'm sorry to intrude. We would not have come here if you had left us any other option."

Or picked up your damn phone, I glowered and shot my glare to my father and brother. They, too, had failed to pick up their phones when I called. To my own surprise, both of the men were staring at me with wide eyes. When my gaze landed on my father, he bowed his head in silent shame.

"Well, you'll have to forgive me," Sehan grumbled, although he didn't sound the least bit apologetic. "We've been quite busy with wedding festivities."

"For two weeks?" I whispered under my breath, but not softly enough. Sehan snarled, but I did not shrink beneath the dominance in his growl.

In fact, I dared to take a step forward, "Look, I'm sorry that we didn't have time to pick out a congratulatory gift basket. But, while you were busy honeymooning, some of us were desperately searching for a way to save all of the damn packs from slaughter."

Many of the onlookers shifted uncomfortably on their feet, perplexed by my words and my attitude. I was not the same girl that had left the Golden Walkers, and they would soon figure that out.

"What are you talking about, Charlotte?" My father questioned, eyes narrowed in genuine confusion.

"Silence!" Sehan snapped backwards at his second-in-command, and my father obeyed, lowering his head in submission. I'd never seen Raegan in such a humiliating position in front of Nolan, and it made me realize how often Sehan abused his power. And the Golden Walkers never knew any better-- never knew a selfless Alpha like Nolan...

I snapped my attention back to Sehan, who had ignored me completely and now glared daggers at Nolan. "Why should we believe a word you or your mate says? Or are we still supposed to believe that Charlie has mated with your Delta?"

The mockery in Sehan's voice had my every muscle twitching for a fight. Dylan, too, seemed to bristle in rage from his spot behind me, but Raegan placed a steady hand on the younger male's shoulder.

A muscle in Nolan's jaw twitched, "You're right. At first, I did try to hide my Goddess-given mate bond with Charlie."

A confused murmur shuddered through the crowd, as if no one could fathom why or how a male resisted such a bond. Sensing their confusion, Nolan continued, "But I did so for the sake of my mate's safety."

Sehan chuckled, unconvinced. "And what safer place is there for a female, than by her mate's side?" But something truly cruel danced in my ex-Alpha's eyes, and he continued, "Or, I suppose you might be the wrong male to ask, considering the fate of your first mate..."

I snarled at Sehan. If only I could shift into a wolf so that I could rip his damned tongue out of his throat! And I wasn't the only one that wanted to attack. Dylan and Sophia growled like Sehan had physically lunged at their Alpha, but it was Raegan who acted.

Before anyone could react, the Black Lupis Beta took three steps forward until he stood directly in front of Sehan, his eyes a shade of rage-filled ebony. And I could have sworn I saw Sehan flinch, while his Golden Walkers warriors made no move to protect him. In fact, some stared at the scene with eyes filled with surprise and disappointment-- disappointment in their Alpha. But Raegan made no move to attack.

Nolan held one hand in the air, a silent order to keep his Beta at bay. A display of the immense control that Nolan had on his pack and on his own anger, which flamed like liquid fire in his eyes. Nolan was pissed, but he wouldn't forget that we came here on a mission.

Begrudgingly, Raegan took one step back, then another, never once taking his eyes off of Alpha Sehan. My beta came back to stand by my side, and I took his hand in mine and squeezed once, a silent thank you for his actions

When tensions fizzled down in the slightest, Nolan took a deep breath, "It's true, my first mate died a horrible death. But her death was no accident, and I've fought to keep Charlie from meeting the same fate."

My father stepped forward again, this time ignoring the growl that Sehan emitted, eyes locked on mine, "What is he talking about, Charlie?"

To my surprise, Sehan simply frowned and waited, as if he wanted to hear my explanation as well. I exchanged glances with Nolan, and he nodded, a final confirmation that I could tell the secret that he'd been keeping since Sarah's death.

I took a deep breath, "Hybrids. He's talking about hybrids."

The surrounding wolves let out a collective shudder at the mythical monster. Everyone had heard stories of a vampire-werewolf beast, but none would ever consider them a real threat. I certainly didn't. At least, until I looked one in the eye all those weeks ago in the bar.

"And the hybrids want me dead," I admitted, looking my father directly in the eye.

"Nonsense! Hybrids went extinct decades ago!" Sehan argued.

Nolan shook his head, "Their populations dwindled, but they never went extinct."

Sehan gave a nonchalant swish of his hand, "Even so, they've never been known to gather in groups larger than two or three."

"There's a new wave of hybrids, and they are gathering in large groups. Armies," Nolan persisted, glancing between Sehan and his advisors. "Large enough to wipe out entire packs."

"How do we not know about this?" Jeremy demanded, speaking for the first time since we arrived. The threat of an army to fight must have piqued my older brother's interest...

Nolan frowned, and I knew that he felt guilty for keeping such a large secret from the other packs of our region. "The hybrid army has been targeting packs on the East Coast first... Word is only just beginning to reach the Western Packs, and I only knew ahead of time because of what happened to Sarah."

Sehan considered Nolan's words, but I knew that we had planted a seed of doubt in the rival Alpha's brain. Even if he wanted to turn us away, the rest of his pack was justifiably wary.

After several long moments, Sehan narrowed his eyes at Nolan. "What proof do you have?"

"Besides a dead mate?" Nolan growled, but he turned back to Dylan and Sophia nonetheless, nodding his head once.

They received his silent order and walked toward the trunk of our SUV, where the caged hybrid had begun to stir. The Golden Walkers watched in confusion as Dylan and Sophia rummaged with something in the back of the car, and then a body came spilling to the dirt. The human body of our drowsy hybrid.

In her human form, the girl looked non-threatening, especially given the fact that she couldn't keep her eyes open as a result of the tranquilizers we'd pumped into her. Dylan kicked her body forward, closer to Alpha Sehan for him to investigate.

"What the hell is this?" Sehan growled, clearly unimpressed by the hostage we'd brought in tow.

"Is that--?" My father questioned, hesitantly taking a step closer to the girl.

"A hybrid? Yes." I took the liberty of approaching the unseemingly dangerous creature. She laid sprawled on the ground, uncoordinated and utterly human.

We need her to shift... I crouched by her flailing body and picked up a jagged stone from the dirt. This will have to do.

Before Nolan could stop me or volunteer himself, I brought the sharpest edge of the rock slicing across my palm. I wincing at the sharp pain that pricked my skin for a few moments, but smiled when I felt it-- the warm stickiness that started to spill from my hand in a steady flow. Blood.

"What are you doing?" My brother demanded, asking the question that seemed to be on everyone's mind.

"I'd reckon she's a bit hungry..." I muttered, and held my bleeding palm over the hybrid's face. Drops of crimson liquid splattered across the girl's cheek, and, at first, she didn't move.

Then her eyes opened like a demon possessed. The blacks of her pupils had extended to the very rims of her eyelids, and her nostrils flared as she found her strength in the desperation of hunger. She shrieked, the sound more animal than human, as she crawled like an agile spider onto her hands and feet.

I staggered backwards, bleeding palm now clutched against my chest, until I ran into a large figure. Pine trees and peppermint mingled with the scent of my blood, and I realized that Nolan now held me against his chest while Raegan, Dylan, and Sophia circled around the hybrid.

Another blood-thirsty shriek left the lips of the hybrid, and she turned until I was in her line of sight. I was her only target. My blood was the only thing she cared about, even while the surrounding Golden Walkers barked and snarled at the evident threat.

"We need her to shift!" I shouted to Nolan above the noise, "Be ready to kill her as soon as she does."

Nolan nodded his head and stepped in front of me, a barrier between myself and the hybrid. I placed the jagged edge of the rock against the deepest point of my wound and braced myself for another round of pain. I pressed, harder and harder against the veins in my hand until the rock broke through a deeper layer of skin and muscle, and blood poured out faster than I could control.

The sticky liquid dripped down my fingertips and onto the tops of my shoes. The iron smell hit hard, but the adrenaline coursing through my veins kept me from feeling queasy at the blood loss.

Something must have been happening, for the surrounding Golden Walker wolves snarled and snapped their massive jaws at the hybrid. But I couldn't see the shift from behind Nolan's broad back.

Sehan yelled something at his wolves, and at least a dozen warriors leapt forward to fight against this foreign creature. The fight didn't last long, considering the hybrid was drugged and horribly out-numbered. Within seconds, her head rolled at Sehan's feet. My pack members never even had to shift.

Chaos erupted throughout the Golden Walkers Pack, as if they couldn't quite grasp what they had just seen. I could guess. A vampire that could half-shift into a grotesque werewolf, utterly consumed by the smell and taste of blood. Something that went against their very fundamentals of nature...

Nolan ignored the chaos, the shouts and screams that were directed toward him. Some were angry that we'd brought such a creature into their pack. Others wanted to know more about the threat of the hybrids.

Instead, my Alpha gathered me close to his side. He murmured something in my ear, but I could hardly hear over the ruckus. He tore a piece of his very own t-shirt apart and wrapped the fabric over my palm, hoping to provide some sort of pressure to stop the flow of blood.

I winced. My head felt light and my palm hurt like the devil, but I would be alright. "I'm fine," I assured Nolan, who allowed me to lean against his chest for support.

My attention shifted to Alpha Sehan, who stared at the dismembered hybrid that now laid at his feet. His throat bobbed up and down once, before he finally looked up at Nolan and me.

"What can I help you with?"