Did I have an answer? Yes. One he'd accept? No. At least I didn't so and thank heavens I was spared from having to fumble for one long because my phone buzzed continually with a phone call.

"Don't pick that up, I'm not done talking to you?" He pointed at me with a pair of kitchen tongs.

"Yea well," Ignoring him like a petulant teenager, I waved my phone screen in front of Mateo's face. "Nevanji may you please explain to your commanding officer that I'll be out in the house taking my mate's call." As I walked off from my father's grumble of displeasure my head throbbed with ache. Possibly from disrespecting him or from the weight of my lies. My phone buzzed one more time before I swiped for green.

On the other end of the line, Danielle was livid. "I found out why they called everyone in the pack back here."

"Me too." I breathed swiping a sweaty hand down my face. "Everyone thinks we're mates, they will have to spare us from being a part of the investigation." I bit at my fingernails, assuring her even though I didn't know what the council would choose to make of mated couples, like us. In the eyes of the people at least.

"Malik. It's bigger than anything you can imagine, they will know." She cried in panic.

Fear surged in my veins, I was unsure of everything except my decision. I had to be strong for her, for me. "They won't, we'll just have to look like we're in love with each other."

Danielle scoffed, "You aren't getting it."

"But I am. We just have to look in love and no one will question us." I bit my lip and spoke into the phone. "No one has questioned us for five years. They won't start now." I was so sure of it.

"Malik. They demanded me on a plane back here today but that's not what's most concerning. I was doing some reading and..." Dani breathed deep into the receiver before she spoke again. "Polygamy was never ruled out for our specie. It just fizzled out along with time and evolution. Do you know what that means? Or what the council led by your dad has decided to do about it?"

I hummed a no with hesitance and suspicion.

"According to the copy document I'm holding right now. Your dad petitioned with the pack order to officially allow the council to consider all avenues of evolution and devolution. It says here that he won and that means mates or not no female in the pack is exempt from the exam." She paused deep and lost control. "That means I'm a candidate mate for Brady and if I'm a candidate you could..."

"They won't test you." I jumped to the rescue. "There are hundreds of mated she-wolves. By the time they get to you something will have given and even if they do in the worst case scenario. You're not his mate so they'll never know."

"That's assuming the council doesn't already suspect us of at least something." She was panicking.

I had to be calm for both of us. "Like what?"

"Do you remember what's supposed to happen when mates consummate their bond for the first time?" she whispered.

I whispered back, "Of course, I know."

When a mated couple had sex with each other for the first time. Their initials would cosmically tattoo themselves on the sacred stones at the time of the marking bite. These sacred stones were in an immovable location at the Alpha's compound. In a thousand plus old cave, that was believed to be the housing ground for our tribe of werewolves and core centre.

Those particular caves, sacred materials and stones were soon to be under the jurisdiction of my brother. They were also responsible for giving families totems and ranks, after each significant event like mating, childbirth and blood settled disputes.

"Malik are you still here?"

"Yea, yea I am. If you recall, we told our parents we're waiting for marriage. That can explain everything."

She laughed but the sound carried no hope or humor, "What mated couple waits for marriage? What werewolf couple lives together for five years going through heat moons together. Yet doesn't even schedule an engagement least of all huh?" Danielle sniffed through the phone "The Alpha will have my head." Her voice broke at the end with a sob. "You have to come out Malik." She sounded muffled as though she was crying into a shirt sleeve or a pillow or something. "Can't you find a way to want him as you should?"

I could never want Brady.

I felt intensely about him and my plan felt doomed knowing every bit of chaos had been brought on by my doing. Too much time had already passed, and too many official groups had already become involved. Our pack and the headquarters had laws. Laws I'd broken and dragged my best friend into becoming an accomplice in. Not once had I seen the level of thorough investigation coming. At most I expected them to carry investigations on females who weren't mated. That way we both could be safe, but now my father's signed petition threatened every inch of hope I was desperately clinging on.

My wolf felt at unease and my skin itched with a strong solid fear of something I couldn't pin or name.

"Are you sure you can't move past it?" A bit calmer in a soothing tone she rephrased her question. "I'm dead if they know but they'll be forced to show you some form of mercy. One dead man is better than two."

My heartbeat thrummed erratically in my ears, my blood burned to fill every crack within my damned soul with regret and frustration. But I'd already come too far to stop now. The terrible thing is she was right, the reality was if I came out they'd let me live to serve their son but they'd mercilessly kill Danielle for misplacing her loyalty. At least in my way I could buy some time, save Danielle and accept the fate given to me by the gods.

Tap-tap-tap. There was a knock on the door but I ignored it.

"I am so sorry, this is my fault."

"The fault is both ours." She sobbed and softly added with confidence, "It's actually Brady's, but maybe we didn't make the best choice either. And now I'm just scared endlessly about what they will do to us and how many crimes they will bleed me for." She went on to list her crimes and whimpered at the end. "I wonder if the gods will curse my bloodline? Aren't you scared too? they will let you live but you'll be severely punished too."

That was the thing, I didn't know if I was scared or not.

I was on a thin line and knowledge of the fact caused my stomach to drop. A sob that seemed to belong to someone else escaped me and I pulled away from the phone so she wouldn't hear me cry and freak out some more. I forced myself together while pleading with the guards of death to take me, right there and then. "When do you land?" I asked into the phone.

"Right after you left, five troops showed up on my tour and forced me on a plane." She replied still sniffing. "So I'm already here at my parents."

The knock persisted like an incessant little bird but I ignored it, attention intent on my best friend. The door to my room burst open and Malia breezed in with a concerned look on her face. "Are you ok?" She mouthed.

"I'm coming over," I told Dani as I gave a yes nod to my sister.

"Please," Dani replied, going offline.

Malia closed the door and stepped in the rest of the way. That look of concern seared itself deeper from her face to her tone of voice. "You know you can trust me with anything right?" she said reaching to touch my shoulder with brotherly affection.

Her features were pulled softer than usual and she'd come after me alone, so for a second, deafening blood rushed into my ears with fear that the secret had come out. I wondered if that was why they'd forced Danielle to board a plane here a day before she was supposed to come. Had the pack found out and now decided to trap us where we couldn't escape their wrath?

Malia broke my train of thought when she said, "Couples fight it's normal but it also helps to talk about things. I know a therapist for couples if you and Danielle would like?" She squeezed my forearm.

Relief flooded me, she didn't know! "U-Uhm yea sure, I'll talk to you more about it when I come back. Right now I have to go see her." I spread my hand out to receive. "Car keys?"

Later on, the night sky showed through an open slit of blush pink chiffon curtains and in my arms lay a worn out Danielle who'd cried the entire time until she slept. She was understandably terrified to lose her life over something as simple as childish vendettas.

I was terrified too, of the Alpha more than anything or anyone else. It was no secret that although not heartless our Alpha; Brady's dad was famously ruthless and for when the truth would come out. If it ever came out there was no shadow of doubt he would demand Danielle's head. On the other hand, I pictured him ripping my heart out before going after my whole family's bloodline.

Night sweats and the sound of my cruel bitter heart beating out of my chest kept me up that night even after I cradled my best friend to sleep. I had let my feelings condemn us both, but I'd be damned if I got anyone other than Brady's blood on my hands.

Plan B.