"I don't want to get up," I complained, stuffing my head under my paws in an attempt to continue sleeping.

"It's noon, so it's about time you got up," Amber said kindly, picking me up despite my protests.

"But I stayed up late!"

"So did everyone else, and they are all up and about."

"Crazy morning people."

"In a short time, it will be the afternoon."

"Crazy people."

She chuckled and scratched me behind an ear. "The food will be ready shortly, and Vera said she was getting your chair out."

"How many found their mates anyway? My senses were pretty much kaput after the third."

"Six that I heard of. Possibly seven, but those two refuse to say if it is true or not, and the Omegas haven't been close enough to them to tell yet."

I did a quick tally of the mindsparks in my senses. "Everyone in our pack is still present. I assume they stayed the night?"

"Yes, the other guests slept in the forest or sheds in wolf form. Each pair is discussing which pack to join. Last I heard, four have already decided to go back to their mate's pack and help them gather their stuff before returning."

"It's a slow process and a big change considering they will have a hard time being apart for even a few hours during the next few weeks."

Amber nodded. "Yes, and with so many new-found mates, we need a bit of calming in the dining area to help keep their hormones and the matebond in check."

"Alright. Let's go. I can't torment them if I'm not present, and I'm about the only one who can tease them mercilessly until the bond settles."

She chuckled as she carried me out of the room.

I blinked at Alpha Kiel. "I think I need to ask Jenna to clean my ears. Can you please repeat that?"

"The friendly rogues transporting the ferals are at the usual clearing with fourteen more ferals."

"How did they manage to find fourteen ferals and bring them back in a week and a half on carts? It took my original group weeks to find nine, and we were travelling at feral speed."

"They said that many packs they've talked to have started luring and trapping as many ferals as possible. Some packs are even paying other rogues to take the ferals to our liaison group."

"Wow. At this rate, there aren't going to be any more ferals around."

"Anabel and Josh talked with them for a while. They are spreading the news that Comforters can help most ferals, and a few packs are trying as well, but they aren't willing to accept more than a few until they see how things turn out. As we well know, they have a rather short temper and not much short of a Comforter, Enforcer, or Alpha can stop them if their temper flares."

"Are you hinting that some might want to join a pack mostly made up of former ferals as opposed to staying with whatever pack helped them?"

"Not really. A few might come if the pack isn't too welcoming, but I don't think we'll see many former ferals. However, I am paying the rogues for each feral, and they have to range farther to find them, but with the other packs suddenly helping them, I imagine we'll continue seeing an influx that way."

"Why are so many packs helping? I know some want nothing to do with rogues."

"Because it removes a potential danger from their borders, and they don't have to kill someone who might be a relative or packmember. Executions also take a toll on anyone involved and the pack morale."

"Wow. It's probably a good thing we just finished building the first floor of the new packhouse."

He chuckled. "Yes, I happened to walk by the family rooms late last night, and each one looked like a wolf den. I had a hard time spotting Vera. I didn't think she'd allow so many wolves that close to her while she slept."

"I had to amplify my aura to help keep the peace, but that's probably why the neighboring family rooms had so many people sleeping in them instead of outside. It gives them a sense of family and many are quietly yearning for that type of comfort."

"Why was the one pillow on top of the curtains?"

"The cover story is that it is lumpy and no one wanted it. In reality, it was the sort of pillow fight that only happens when those in authority are sufficiently distracted elsewhere."

"I guess that explains why a glass of my favorite wine appeared in my reading room."

"And why there was so much wood by the fireplace."

"Where were my Beta and Enforcer?"

"Beta Dawson's mate just happened to have a picnic basket appear in front of their room, so they were out in the forest on a date. Andy shook his head, warned us not to break anything, and then he went for a run in the forest to pretend he knew nothing about it. We made Conrad sit in front of the lamp and guard it."

Alpha Kiel chuckled and shook his head. "He may not want the position, but I've sensed his abilities surfacing a few times."

I grinned in agreement. "He's settling into the pack, and he feels more responsible for it, which makes it even harder to ignore his abilities. So, he's basically fighting against himself right now. It's a losing battle, and he knows it."

"I expected that would happen. So did he. I won't bring up the topic unless he does, but we both know he'll slowly edge his way into the role."

"My guess is that his abilities will be fully active within a year. Maybe sooner."

"A former feral with Enforcer abilities... I'll have to make sure to have a round or two with him when no one else is around to see me lose."

I snickered at that mental image and how easily the Alpha accepted that he wouldn't win a fight against Conrad on that day.

The door to the office flew open as Beta Dawson barged in. "Alpha, we have a problem."

"What is it?"

Dawson looked at me. "Aura, please."

I promptly strengthened my aura and focused it to calm. If the Beta wanted to deliver news in-person instead of mindlinking, then it wasn't an emergency, but if my aura was needed, it was serious.

"A couple of our friendly rogues just showed up at our borders with the ferals and bad news. Several packs realized our growing size and the ferals disappearing from this area are related. The rogues spotted a small scouting group of fighters and brought the ferals here before that group stumbled across them."

"I knew it wouldn't take long for people to realize which pack was accepting the ferals. Are you sure they're telling the truth?"

"Nora is already running to the border to use her truth-sensing ability."

"How far away are the fighters?"

"Some of our patrol have already scented them, but it's a small group, and it looks like they are seeing exactly where our borders are. They aren't approaching the border or the patrols."

Alpha Kiel mulled over that. "Bring the rogues and ferals halfway to the packhouse so the fighters aren't tempted to strike. Once Nora confirms their story, we can let them stay until the threat is over. Triple the patrols, and I want at least one former feral with a good nose in each group. Ensure the safehouses are well stocked, just in case."

The Beta's eyes glazed over as he began relaying the orders to the appropriate groups.

The Alpha looked at me. "Can you manage the ferals once they arrive?"

"I'll do my best. The last group only took me an hour."

He nodded and mindlinked the entire pack to inform them of the group sizing up our borders and the potential threat.

"-So, we still don't know where that group went or what they were checking for," Andrew summarized grimly.

"It would have been suicide for them to attempt anything," Conrad countered. "A dozen fighters aren't going to openly attack a pack once they notice the patrols are on alert. Especially when most neighboring packs know there are at least sixty people here, and most of them are fit enough to be fighters."

"If the rogues are right, they were likely checking our borders and how well they might be monitored. Luckily, we haven't had any guests lately, so no one knows that we actually have over a hundred people now."

"If they attack, I'll fight," a lanky man quietly said. He had been one of the fourteen ferals the rogues had brought in earlier this afternoon.

"I think it's safe to say that most of us will fight," a woman added, also from that new group. "If someone is going to attack this pack because they are scared that former ferals pose a threat to them, then we'll teach them just how viciously we defend those who have helped us."

A number of muttered agreements came from all sides of the crowded room. Since all the seats and most of the open floor room was occupied by people, the Alpha leaned against the wall while he listened to the discussion.

Anabel said, "I sent word with the rogues when they left. There are a number of other rogues and people who owe me favors, and I'm calling them in. If they can find information, then great. If they are willing to stand and fight with us – which they likely are – that will give us at least twenty more fighters."

"It wasn't one of the packs closest to us," Beta Dawson told us, "or we would have recognized their scents or seen them react during the Festival."

"They weren't regular rogues, or they would have cloaked their scents properly." Anabel replied dryly. "Dan and Steve aren't having any problems tracking them so far."

Alpha Kiel finally spoke, "I think the best thing we can do is wait until we know more. They are gone for now, so we can prepare in case they come back. I'm hoping they decide that attacking us isn't worth the effort. We've alerted our neighbors via immediate family mindlinks, and they are also keeping watch."

"We'll wait," Daryl agreed solemnly, "and if they decide to attack, they'll realize too late exactly what kind of mistake they made."