An hour later, Lillian managed to hunt down Kate, her goal to somehow convince the warrior to train her.

She found Kate and Jennifer, playing with a tiny pup in front of Jennifer's house.

The pup was Kate's, barely two and a half years old. He was the most adorable bundle of brown fur with snow white tipped ears. He crouched low when he saw her, flattening himself to the ground. Lillian pretended not to see him, and as soon as she passed by, he jumped on her with a high-pitched bark. Lillian pretended to be scared and played along, and she was rewarded by a furious tail wag and a lick before the pup hopped away.

"He's adorable," Lillian said, leaning on the railing next to Kate on Jennifer's porch. Jennifer, who sat in a rocking chair nearby, grinned at Lillian.

Lillian had been getting those sorts of smiles all morning. The kind that said they knew something she didn't, and they were enjoying it.

"Of course he is," Jennifer said, taking a sip from a mug in her hand. "He's my grandson."

Lillian ignored the way Kate leaned closer to her. She was trying not to sniff Lillian blatantly. But Lillian was used to it by now. She'd been getting it whenever she passed by a pack mate and they gave her a startled wide-eyed glance when they caught a flash of Noah's scent on her.

Why would people be so surprised that Noah spent time with her? Maybe he really was that much of a loner.

"So, Kate," Lillian said. "I was wondering if you could help me start combat training."

Kate froze. Her eyes flitted away. "Um..."

Kate's expression made Lillian suspicious. Jennifer chuckled.

"What?" Lillian asked.

"Well...you see..." Kate said. "While I'd be more than glad to train you, I can't disobey a direct order from my alpha."

Oh, no, he didn't. Lillian straightened, crossing her arms. "What does it have to do with Noah?"

Kate looked back at her mother, who was clearly amused by the conversation. Kate's pup sneaked closer and nipped at Lillian's shin. Since she was wearing jeans, she didn't really feel his little teeth. Lillian crouched down, scratching the pup between his white ears. The pup settled down, his eyes half closed.

"You see," Kate finally said. "He kind of gave the order to not allow you into the training ground."

That sly, hard-headed ass- Lillian's temper flared, but she smiled sweetly while petting Kate's pup. "Did he, now?"

Jennifer chuckled. When Lillian stood up with the pup in her arms and arched a brow in question, the older woman just shook her head.

"oh, don't mind me." Jennifer gestured with her hand. "Keep going."

Lillian pinched her lips to the side. The pup shifted in her arms until he lay his head on her shoulder and closed his eyes.

"What were his exact orders? His exact words?" Lillian asked Kate.

Lines appeared in Kate's smooth forehead as she slowly said, "that you're not allowed to train in the training grounds..."

A slow, wide grin stretched Lillian's lips. Kate took a small step backward, an apprehensive look crossing her face.

*** *** ***

The backyard of the pack house, a large clearing with a scattering of wooden table benches, was buzzing with wolves. Noah walked through the crowd of excited pack members, stopping occasionally to someone's demand.

Lillian and her pups were placed on a bench under an old fir, a throng of pack mates surrounding them.

The sun was about to set, painting in orange and red everything it touched. Lights all around the clearing were being lit in preparation for nightfall.

"Ready?" he asked upon reaching Lillian.

She took a deep breath and gave him a short nod, the twins next to her impatient to get this over with so they could get back to more important matters, like playing.

"It'll be fine," Jennifer said, standing up from where she'd been sitting next to Lillian with Anna. Squeezing Lillian's shoulder, the older woman moved back with the teacher, joining the rest of the pack behind Noah.

Lillian put her arms around Elijah and Ezra. The twins stopped fidgeting and leaned into her, no doubt sensing their mother's anxiety.

Noah turned around, taking in the half circle that had formed around them. The faces he saw were open and welcoming, accepting. The wary ones were rare, but Noah knew for sure they were ones who hadn't had the chance to meet Lillian and spend time with her. Anyone who came in contact with her fire couldn't help but be enraptured. Her light was just so radiant, so appealing that people instinctively opened up to her.

"Tonight, we welcome new members into our pack," Noah began as voices died down. "It has been more than two weeks since they joined us. In these two weeks, they have been introduced to our way of life, have been given a place in this pack, and have been forming bonds with you."

More than one pair of eyes held a knowing glint. The news that his scent was all over Lillian had no doubt traveled all around the pack. Now there was no doubt that Noah was pursuing Lillian. Noah's wolf was smug.

The night before, he'd been surprised to find Lillian sitting on her porch when he was coming back from patrolling the border. Blanketed by anguish and despair, the sight of her had pained him and his wolf.

For once, the man and the wolf in Noah both wanted to go to her, to ease the soul-deep hurt that robbed the light of her eyes. He couldn't help the compelling need. And when she welcomed him with open arms in her moment of weakness, when her insides were all but bare for him to see, it undid the last of Noah's restraints in seeing her as a mate.

So he let the wolf mark her as his- and to be honest with himself, Noah admitted it wasn't just the wolf's desire, it was also his. It had always been his; the wolf had only pushed the man to accept Lillian, because both sides of him had been attracted to her fire since the first time their eyes met.

No more running from her or from himself. She was his.

"The twins will be joined by blood into the pack. Seeing as Lillian is human, she won't be making the blood vow." Though Noah wouldn't be surprised if the blood vow actually held with her. "But that doesn't make her any less of a member in this pack. She has the same rights and duties as any one of you, and will be treated as such."

Noah let his wolf peek through his eyes, making it clear his words were orders. He wouldn't stand for his pack to be divided on any matter, especially this one.

A chorus of "Yes, alpha." echoed around the clearing. Noah nodded at Sean and Jake, the two came closer.

He lowered himself in front of Lillian and the twins, putting his palms on top of the pups' heads. "It will only hurt a little, alright?"

The twins nodded. They looked less nervous than Lillian. Sean whipped out his claws and slashed both of Noah's palms deep enough to have blood overflowing for a few seconds before the cuts closed. Then the twins, each held out a palm. Jake slashed Elijah's, Sean doing the same thing for Ezra.

The twins winced, turning their heads into their mother. She squeezed their shoulders and murmured encouraging words.

Noah clamped his palms on the twins' and closed his eyes, calling to the pack's magic from the core of his wolf. Channeling the energy through his palms, it flowed in his blood to mingle with Elijah's and Ezra's.

He found their magic, two blazing stars full of life. Noah heard the twins gasp as the link snapped into place in his mind. Their energy was a buzzing, glowing firefly that joined the pack's magic, melting and mingling with pack mates'.

There was something about that energy. Something that felt different than every wolf and witch within the pack. They were butterflies still inside their cocoons, just waiting to break out and stretch the full span of their wings.

Noah opened his eyes. The twins wore identical, disoriented frowns, their eyes glowing amber. It would take them some time to get used to being part of a pack on a psychic level. What got Noah's attention was the little dazed frown on Lillian's face. She shook her head, blinked hard a couple of times before looking down at the twins.

"It is done." Noah moved aside.

Young and old, wolves approached Lillian and the twins, surrounding them with pack warmth, welcoming them in.

"You know," Jake said, crossing his arms next to Noah and Sean. "This is probably a historical moment. I don't think a human has ever been part of a wolf pack before."

Noah nodded his agreement. Humans and immortals had always been separated. The rift between their worlds was too big to mend.

Noah was watching Lillian getting swallowed in Johnson's bear hug when a warrior mind-linked him.

*** *** ***

"Does Benjamin know?" Noah asked as he ran to his home office next to Jake and Sean.

"Harvey already called him with the news," Jake said, referring to the vampire Noah had come to consider an ally over the past decade.

Harvey was one of the most powerful and influential vampires in the continent, perhaps the world. The fact that he was part of lord Arthur's inner circle was part of the reason for it.

Harvey had called in with an information that made dread knot Noah's guts. The night before, a couple of vampires in Anchorage had found a dead female werewolf in an abandoned warehouse.

None of the packs in Alaska identified the woman. So a picture was sent to all packs who'd had wolves kidnapped. It was only a matter of time before she was recognized.

Noah called Benjamin as soon as he reached his office. He hadn't wanted to use the office in the pack house because people would figure something was wrong, and he didn't want to ruin the night's celebration.

"She's not mine," Benjamin said as soon as he picked up, his voice echoing around the office through the speaker. "She's from a pack in California, I think she was among the first females who were kidnapped."

"Does that mean the kidnapper is killing them?" Jake asked.

"I don't know, maybe?" Benjamin sighed, clearly agitated. "A forensic team is already on the scene, the vampire coven in that area has offered their assistance."

"That's a new coven, right?" Sean asked.

"Yeah," Benjamin replied. "Which means they're still under the direct authority of Arthur."

Arthur. He was one the Five. The Five were the oldest vampires in existence, and arguably the most powerful immortals in the world. They were siblings. Each one of them ruled over the vampire population in different parts of the world. Arthur held the mass of vampires in the Americas in his palm and ruled with an iron fist.

"Good. That means more resources," Noah said.

"Jensen called for a meeting of all alphas involved, along with Harvey and a vampire representative in the area," Benjamin said.

Since it would be difficult to get everyone in the same place quickly, they agreed on a conference call that started a couple of hours after midnight.

While the pack celebrated, Noah took the time until the call to go over all the patrolling schedules with Jake and Sean. They also went over their lists of provisions and needs. Until the situation blew over, Noah didn't want any of his wolf out of pack lands, that meant ensuring they had everything they needed in order to avoid shopping trips to human settlements.

The conference call started. Noah reclined in his office chair, the screen of his laptop separated into squares of different alphas and Harvey.

The alpha whose wolf had been found dead was already in Anchorage, participating in the investigation.

There were no scents in the warehouse, no trails, the place was squeaky clean. The deceased female had bruises and syringe marks on her arms and neck. Silver was found in her bloodstream, her body bore signs of sexual assault.

Harvey revealed that the coven members in Anchorage had been hearing whispers and rumors in the city about an underground club with dubious entertainment services. Wolf fighting bets, a prostitution ring, and more gossip that made the hairs on Noah's neck rise in rage.

"How is it possible that there's no scent trail?" Benjamin asked. "Not even a hint."

"The place is too sterile for it to be anything natural. The only explanation I can come up with is blood magic," Harvey said, his black eyes pools of darkness. The faces of the alphas linked into the call all showed stark fury. "We managed to get a very faint hint of it outside the warehouse, and our witch confirmed it. Very strong blood magic."

Blood magic again.

"We have to talk to the witches," one of the alphas said. "There's no way such strong magic is being used so frequently without them being aware of it. There should at least be whispers of it in the witch community."

"You know how protective they are of their own," Benjamin said, his blue eyes flashing wolf for a second. "To the point of being biased against other races. So I wouldn't be surprised if they don't come forth with the whole truth."

"Arthur said he would check the witches himself," Harvey said. "He's also offering to provide any help you might need. We already have vampires all over the east coast checking for similar rumors."

The alphas all looked uneasy at the thought of involving Arthur.

Noah, too, would have been wary of Arthur's motives for helping. Except that Noah had met Elle, Arthur's mate. She was a good person who would help anyone in need simply because she could. Arthur worshiped the ground Elle walked on, he wouldn't do anything as cruel as take advantage of this situation to achieve an agenda. Elle would skewer him with her sword.

With Arthur's help secured, Noah knew it was only a matter of time before they came across a lead. The problem was that one female was already dead. Time was not their ally. 

--- ---- ---

Hey guys! Hope you're doing well. A bit of a short chapter, but there's more coming the day after tomorrow!

I hope you liked it. If you did, vote and comment. I appreciate it.

Much love <3

M.B.