Lillian gaped like a fish out of water.

She didn't know what to do with this gentle, affectionate Noah. She could easily deal with the alpha, the grouchy ass who antagonized her without even trying. But this...

Fortunately, she was saved from his intense, expectant gaze when a voice interrupted.

"Alpha?"

Lillian looked over her shoulder to find Phoebe. In a form-hugging copper sequined dress, Phoebe looked like a goddess, her long legs flattered by the short hem and her curves plentiful for a woman of her tall stature.

Okay. Lillian had the presence of mind to admit she was envious of the woman's body. Nothing wrong with that.

"Phoebe, what is it?" Noah spoke, and his voice was so cold and distant compared to a few moments earlier that Lillian glanced back at him with raised brows.

"The party is beginning," Phoebe said. No shit, Sherlock. They could all hear the music.

"Thank you," Noah said. "You may go."

Phoebe hesitated, then turned back around, hips swaying, but not before giving Lillian a seething glare. A light bulb lit up over Lillian's head.

"She likes you," Lillian blurted out.

Noah grimaced, scratching his beard. "That's debatable."

"Uh-huh?"

"Greed isn't specifically a human trait," Noah said. "Everyone loves power, and alphas hold a considerable amount of it."

Lillian frowned. "I'll admit I don't know Phoebe, but just because she likes you doesn't mean she does so because of your power."

"Good thing that I know Phoebe better than you do," Noah said, then sighed heavily. "Let's go."

They'd just started talking when Lillian remembered. "Noah?"

"Hmm?"

"How old are you?"

Lillian could swear his lips twitched up. "Why?"

"Well, I just want to know," Lillian replied. "You're not, like, a hundred or something like that, right?"

"Hmm..."

"Well? How old are you?"

They reached the edge of the trees, opening up to the clearing by the lake that had been ground to some of the games. An orange glow blanketed the entire area; fairy lights hung on trees and floating lanterns dotted the water of the lake like stars on a dark sky. Lillian sighed, content and happy in a way that scared her.

Sensual notes of music soared to Lillian's ears, and mouth-watering wood grill fragrance nearly made her drool.

Pack mates scattered about, some raiding the buffet, some swaying to the music, and others surreptitious shadows in the dark edges of the place necking and cuddling.

"Come. You should have dinner," Noah said, nodding toward the food benches.

"Are you just going to ignore my question?" Lillian walked with him, an annoyed presence. She knew he was avoiding her question. Did that mean he was actually older than he looked?

"I'm not," Noah said. "I'm just choosing not to answer. Why don't you guess?"

Narrowing her eyes at him, Lillian stuck her tongue out. Real mature, Lillian, she thought, annoyed at herself.

His lips quirked up again, and even though his gaze was focused forward, she knew he saw her.

They reached the buffet where Jake was stuffing his face with grilled meat. He mumbled a 'hey' through chipmunk-loaded cheeks. Lillian smiled. The man was too cute to be master-at-arms of a wolf pack.

Lillian had a plate of sausage skewers when she spotted Kate in a stunning white dress floating to the ground. She was glowing, and Lillian could tell it wasn't only from the makeup. Her love for the man holding her shone through in every smile, in every look she gave him. It was the same powerful emotion Lillian had glimpsed every time she was around mates.

The emotion was far greater than love as humans knew it, at least from what Lillian saw in her own experience with humans.

It was a devotion, an adoration so bright it was etched in the very core of their being. A sacred, unbreakable bond between two people who continuously orbit towards each other. It was otherworldly and terrifying.

While Noah drifted to speak with Jake in hushed voices, Robert appeared by her side, dressed in a neat white dress shirt tucked in beige khaki pants.

"You clean up well, Robert Alexander," Lillian said, patting his arm. Pink darkened his cheeks, barely visible under the orange lighting.

"You're not bad yourself," Robert said, taking a sip of his drink.

Lillian swallowed the last bite of her sausages, spotted Jasmine hanging out with a couple of young girls, and nudged Robert with her elbow. "Why don't you ask someone to dance?" she asked, her eyes still trained on Jasmine.

"Uh..yeah, no. I can't really dance."

Lillian looked at him with a raised brow. "Dude, it's not Tango dancing. People are just swaying to the music."

"Nope," Robert mumbled into his drink. "Still not happening."

Lillian sighed deeply, shaking her head. She put the empty plate on the table behind her, did the same to Robert's glass much to his grumbling, and dragged him to the dance floor.

"Fine, then. You're dancing with me."

Wide-eyed, Robert tried to surreptitiously shake off her grip. "Lillian!" he hissed.

Lillian grinned, turning, she put one of her hands on his shoulder, and gripped the other one. "Come on, Rob, just for a bit."

Robert groaned, but complied, putting one hand on her waist. "You're unbelievable."

"Thank you." Lillian grinned.

They moved with the music, and Lillian chatted Robert's ears off until his shoulder was no longer tense and hunched under her hand. They spoke about plants, about their day, about the twins and silly jokes. An effortless conversation between two friends at ease with each other.

Lillian had just laughed about something Robert said when she felt him tense. His eyes flickered over her shoulder. Then, clearing his throat, he gave her a quick grin and stepped back, letting go of her.

"What-"

Heat seeping into the bare skin of her back, warm hands on her shoulders turned her around. Lillian looked up, craning her neck like she always did whenever she talked to Noah.

"What?" she asked, blinking at him. He put both hands on her waist, making her jump. "What are you doing?"

"Dancing," he replied, pulling her even closer.

Putting her hands on his arms on instinct, Lillian glared at him. "You should've been dancing with Jasmine before stealing me from Robert."

He frowned. Lillian rolled her eyes. Men are so clueless when it comes to these things.

After a few seconds, Lillian said, "you know, it's customary to ask the person if they want to dance first."

"You didn't do that with Robert."

Lillian opened her mouth, then closed. She sighed. "Okay, fine, but that's different, Robert is my friend. I sort of have the implicit permission to involve him in things he doesn't want to do."

Noah cocked his head. "I'm not your friend?"

"You can't be my alpha and my friend at the same time."

"I thought I wasn't your alpha?"

"You're not," Lillian narrowed her eyes at him. Impossible man. "But you want to be."

Noah sighed, putting his hand on the back of Lillian's head, he pushed her head to lay on his chest. "Just dance, Lillian."

She resisted a little before complying. Impossible woman.

He didn't tell her that he had no intention of being neither her friend nor her alpha. He'd come close to doing that earlier when they were alone, her scent surrounding him. But Phoebe had interrupted. Just thinking about it made him want to wring Phoebe's neck. Maybe it was for the best, though. Lillian wasn't ready yet.

The woman in his arms mumbled something about overbearing wolves ordering her around, but moved her hands to his chest.

"You're lucky you're warm and I'm freezing." Giving a deep sigh, she curled her hands on his chest. But there was still a tension to her body he didn't like. "How come you're so warm?"

"All wolves are," he replied, even though she knew.

"I know, but you're on a whole other level. Robert wasn't as warm as you are."

Noah's lips almost twitched into a snarl at the thought of her in another man's arms. The only reason he didn't throw the man across the clearing when they'd started dancing was the fact he knew their relationship was sibling-like in all ways that mattered. And also because Lillian would chew him out.

Besides, Robert had his eyes on another pack mate, even when he refused to do something about it.

Ah. Now he understood Lillian's earlier remark about how he should've been dancing with Jasmine. He was clueless when it came to matchmaking.

"Good," Noah said. "You should've put on something warmer."

Lillian snorted. Pulling her head back to look at him, she put her hand on her chest and sighed dramatically. "And here I was waiting for you to shower me with compliments when I finally dressed up. How very disappointing."

"You always look good."

Lillian grinned, patting his chest. "I was kidding, esteemed Alpha."

Growling half-heartedly at the nickname, he squeezed one hand on her waist. Lillian jumped, squealing. Slapping a hand on her mouth, she wiggled in his grasp.

Noah frowned. "What?"

"Stop!" She whispered, still squirming, "I'm ticklish."

Amusement flared, but Noah took mercy on her. He reluctantly removed his hands from the alluring curve of her waist and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, his other hand pushing her head back to where it was laying on his chest. Noah hugged her to him and her hands curled on his shirt.

Lillian's body went taut for a second, but as he swayed them back and forth to the music, muscles gradually unlocked and she relaxed, slightly rubbing her cheek against his chest.

If he was a cat, he would've purred.

Her scent tickled his nose, her hair silky and skin velvety under his hands, Noah felt a sense of peace he'd never before experienced. A lost piece of puzzle finally clicked into place in his heart. And he knew he would go to the ends of the earth to have this woman as his.

*** *** ***

The Seer will see you tomorrow. She's lucid these days. Be at the following location at daybreak. Arthur is close by for some business, so he'll pick you up with his helicopter (he's infuriatingly rich, I know)

Your badass friend, Elle.

A short while after reading the email, Noah was at Lillian's door with an overnight bag. His hair flattened to his forehead, dripping cold onto his wet face. His clothes were plastered to his body from the sudden rain that caught him on the way here. He'd run the rest of the way at full speed, but the heavy downpour managed to soak him.

Pushing his hair back, Noah knocked on the door.

"What the-" were Lillian's first words when she opened. "Why in the world are you out in the rain?! Get inside!"

Noah let himself be dragged in, his wolf puffing up at the attention. Warmth and childish giggles greeted him while Lillian went into her room.

"He's all wet!" Elijah said from where he was sitting on the carpet with Ezra, surrounded by blankets, a plate of cookies and books. The hearth crackled with fire, and the smell of sugar and chocolate suffused the air.

Both boys were wearing nothing but shorts. Apparently, he was a bad influence.

"What's in the bag?" Lillian asked, coming out with a large towel.

"Clothes," Noah replied, accepting the towel. "Remember I told you I know someone we can talk to about the White Stag?"

Lillian nodded, following his hands as he rubbed his hair dry. "Well, we're supposed to meet up with her tomorrow."

"Where is she?" Lillian asked.

"In Portland, Maine."

"Whoa," Lillian raised her brows, looking at the twins. "Okay, Um... so we're leaving now?"

Noah nodded. Lillian bit her lip, eyeing her children.

"Jennifer will gladly look after them," Noah said. "And we'll be back the day after tomorrow, at the latest."

Lillian ran her fingers through her hair. "It's just, I never left them more than- okay. But wait, we're going to fly, right? You realize I'm a wanted criminal, right now."

"We'll be flying private," Noah said. "There won't be any problems."

"Okay." She blew out a breath, looking lost for a second before she shook her head.

Clapping her hands, her face set in determined lines, she pointed at him. "Okay, Noah, use the bathroom to dry yourself or change your clothes. Meanwhile, I'll get the kids ready. Let's go boys!"

"We're going to Nana Jennifer's?" Ezra asked, jumping to his feet with Elijah at the exact same time.

"Yes, sweetheart. Sleepover at Nana Jennifer's," Lillian said heading into the boys room. "Come on, boys, help me pack your stuff."

"I hate driving in the rain", Lillian said, pushing back the hood of her jacket as she settled in her seat.

"Good thing you're not driving, then," Noah said. "Buckle up."

Fastening her seatbelt, Lillian glared at him. "Even when I'm not driving. I just don't like not having a clear view of what's in front of the car."

"We'll be fine." Noah started the truck. The pack owned a few vehicles, stored in a garage near a dirt road a small way off the pack village. Lillian shifted in her seat, uncomfortable. Her smell filled the car, the stubborn notes of it clinging to his every breath.

"What if we're stopped by the police or something?" she asked.

Noah glanced at her. "We won't be."

She was still worried about the fact she was accused of murder. Noah told Harvey to keep an eye on it, and so far, Lillian and the kids were declared missing.

She rolled her eyes at him. "That's not something you can control. Anyway, who's this woman we're going to see?"

Noah steered the car through the forest, out of the pack. "She's a Seer."

She crinkled her nose much like Elijah did. Adorable. "So, like someone who can see the future?"

"In a way, yes."

"Why couldn't we meet her before?"

"She's- was- a human. She was turned into a vampire against her will years ago. It's a long story, but she's no longer stable, and her visions are erratic. She's currently under Elle's protection and care. She's not always lucid. Elle said she's stable enough these days. Hopefully, she'll have some answers."

"You think she'll be able to tell us something about the White Stag?" Lillian asked after a long pause.

Noah shrugged. "Hopefully. The White Stag is something close to a myth, It's usually connected to the concept of change and future. The Seer is the only person I could think of who could help us."

At least, that was what Harvey had told him when he had asked after the incident with the rogues. Harvey was Arthur's second, being the close friend of one of the oldest beings in existence, Noah took his words seriously.

Also, the Seer's words six months ago kept echoing in Noah's head.

The wolf will claim the unborn woman.

He wondered if he was the wolf, if Lillian was the woman. Because of the White Stag, it wasn't a far-fetched possibility.

"It's really going down hard," Lillian muttered, staring out of the rain-blurred window. The wipers couldn't keep up with the downpour.

"Hmm."

When the car's wheels rolled smoothly on the paved road, the rain finally subsided. That was when Noah got a call.

"Can you see who's that, please?" Noah asked. His phone was on the console between them.

"Oh, would you look at that, he actually said please," Lillian mumbled, making Noah's lips twitch up. "It says Benjamin".

"put it on speaker," Noah said, then added. "Please."

Melodic soft laughter before Benjamin's voice filled the cabin.

"Noah, we got them."

*** *** ***

"Thanks for coming, I thought you'd want to see this through- why is the human with you?"

Noah sighed. "We were on our way somewhere."

"No wonder you got here so fast."

Benjamin had called to say they might have uncovered something related to the kidnappings.

The club of which they had found traces and rumors in Anchorage, Alaska, might have relocated here, a town north of Portland. Since they were close by, and Lillian had all but chewed him out when he said he'd take her to the pack first then come back to join Benjamin, Noah decided to take her along.

"It's almost nightfall, there's no need to go all the way back to the pack," she had said when Benjamin hung up. "I can tag along. I'll even stay in the car if you want."

He couldn't leave her alone in the car, so she came into the two story building where Benjamin and others were based. Benjamin was the one who opened the door of the old brick building.

"Well, it's a good thing your scent is all over her," Benjamin said, with a playful grin. "The vampires won't think of her as a snack"

"There are vampires here?" Lillian asked with a hushed whisper, blue eyes wide.

"Yes," Benjamin replied, leading inside. The house smelled of dust and mold. The only fresh scents were those of vampires and wolves. Noah recognized most.

"Harvey's here?"

"Yes."

They went through the empty living room, up a rickety flight of stairs, and into a room on the upper level of the house.

The room had the only pieces of furniture Noah glimpsed in the house. A couple of large couches, a few wooden chairs, and a long table that held two monitoring screens and a laptop. The night outside the window was covered by a thin, patched curtain.

Harvey and Mark, another one of the alphas who'd lost a female to the kidnapping, were standing by the window.

Harvey, in his usual three piece suit, well coiffed hair and neatly shaved face, smiled when he saw them. But before he could open his mouth, a furious growl shook the walls around them, coming from the alpha glaring at Lillian through eyes gone amber.

Noah's wolf pushed forward when Mark moved as if to take a step toward them. Claws slicing out and canines pushing, Noah was in a defensive crouch in front of Lillian before anyone could move. Lillian froze behind him.

"Ooookay. Let's all calm down," Benjamin said slowly, raising his hands. He moved to stand sideways between Noah and Mark.

"A human," Mark spat out. "He brought a damn human! What's the meaning of this?"

Benjamin's chest rumbled. "Mark, use your damn nose, will you?"

"What are you talk-" Mark's eyes turned back to their usual brown. He blinked. "Oh."

Benjamin snorted and relaxed his body. "Yes. Oh."

"Well, man," Mark said, craning his neck to the side to take a look at Lillian. "You have a lot of explaining to do."

Noah almost rolled his eyes. He straightened up, rolling tension out of his shoulders. When Lillian poked him in the back, he looked over his shoulder. She smiled widely at him, then made a shooing gesture with her hand, telling him to step aside. Noah heard Benjamin's stifled chuckle.

All he wanted to do was throw her over his shoulder and take her back to the pack where he knew she'd be protected.

He moved aside. Lillian took a step forward, smiling sincerely at the men. "Hi, I'm Lillian. I'm sorry if I came uninvited, but we were close to town and I didn't want Noah to drive all the way back to the pack. But I promise I'll stay out of the way."

Harvey smiled back, Mark narrowed his eyes, though his lips were twitching upward. "Aren't you brave for a human?"

Noah agreed. Not once did his nose detect any hint of fear. He really had to know how she did that. Because she was afraid, her hands had been shaking before she stuck them in the pockets of her jacket.

Lillian's grin widened, and she looked between Mark and Harvey, never letting her eyes hold Mark's for too long. Good, Anna had been teaching her well.

"Well, now that that's out of the way," Harvey said, coming forward, holding his hand out to Lillian who hesitated. "Don't worry, I don't bite... unless you ask."

A genuine smile broke out on her face and she shook the other man's hand. "No offense, but I thought you'd be a bit colder."

Harvey laughed, a sound that charmed many a female along with his clean-cut, beautiful features. "None taken, dear. How about you take a seat, and don't pay attention to Mark, he's just grumpy that he didn't get his afternoon nap."

Mark growled half-heartedly. If it had been someone else, he would've taken offense. But this was Harvey. He was famous for his harmless jesting. And he got along with everyone, quite literally.

He was also one of the strongest vampires alive. Mark was strong, but not that strong.

"What did you find?" Noah said, taking a seat next to Lillian on one of the couches.

"Almost the same scenario as Alaska," Harvey said. Sitting on Lillian's other side, he crossed his long legs at the ankles. "Rumors of a club, illegal wolf fights, drugs, prostitution. And it's by invitation only for immortals."

"Yeah," Benjamin said. "It's free for humans."

"Probably because the vampires there get to have free snacks," Harvey said, then glanced at Lillian. "No offense."

"None taken. I'm no one's snack." Lillian smiled back at Harvey. The vampire narrowed his eyes at her, his pupils dilated. Lillian only stared back, unaffected.

Noah's soft growl made Harvey blink. He chuckled. "You're special, aren't you, Lillian?"

"A snowflake," Lillian said with a roll of her eyes.

Harvey grinned, looked over her head at Noah with raised brows. Noah slightly shook his head. He could guess why Harvey was flustered. Humans were always charmed by vampires, fascinated by them. It was one of the natural gifts vampires had to ensure they were never out of food.

Apparently, it wasn't working on Lillian. Which did not surprise Noah. He had no doubt Arthur would hear all about Lillian as soon as possible. Noah didn't know whether that was good or bad.

On one hand, Arthur was a ruthless man and Noah didn't want him aware of Lillian and her unique traits. On the other, Arthur's mate, Elle, was quite fond of Noah in a brotherly way. She would make a great ally and a layer of protection for Lillian and the twins if she knew what they meant to Noah, and Arthur would do anything to keep his mate happy.

"Anyway," Noah said. "You know where the club is?"

Harvey nodded. "A vampire posted here notified me that something was off a few days ago. It's a small town, vampires usually go through it, maybe spend a couple of days then leave. But there was a rise in immortals in the last three days.

"We managed to pinpoint the location of the club. But like I said, it's by invitation only so we couldn't get in. And we didn't want to just barge in. We don't know the layout of the place, the size of their manpower, we don't even know if they have the girls we're looking for."

"And if they do and they get wind of our presence, they'll relocate again, and we'll have lost our chance," Mark said, running a rough hand through his dark hair.

"We should make our move as soon as possible. It's only a matter of time before they pick up on the spike in magic," Noah said.

"What's that?" Lillian asked.

"When too many powerful immortals are in the same area, it creates a strong flow of magical energy," Harvey explained. "That's why alphas tend to keep their territories spread out, and old vampires prefer isolated locations. With three alphas and me here, I'll give it until tomorrow for the spike to manifest. When that happens, the targets will get suspicious."

Benjamin sprang up to his feet and started pacing. "We need to get a look at the place, know what's going on in there. We can't go in blind."

"I still don't know why we don't just get our warriors and barge in," Mark said. "Make the numbers in our advantage."

"We can't leave the packs too vulnerable," Benjamin said. "And as much as I hate it, they could have moles in any of our packs. If they get wind we're onto them, who the hell knows what they'll do? They might have our wolves, and they won't hesitate in using them as hostages."

"You know," Harvey said, stretching his arm on the back of the couch. "I really don't understand why you guys keep the transferred wolves so close to the heart of your packs."

"Wolves are pack creatures," Mark replied. "If we get a transfer wolf and just put them on the periphery of the pack, they'll go crazy."

"There are lone wolves who don't live with packs."

"Those are an exception. Very few wolves could live the nomad life without settling down," Mark replied. "We need transfer wolves, we can't close up on ourselves, wolves need to find their mates. And like it or not, transferring wolves proved a good strategy in that regard."

Looking like he swallowed something sour, Harvey shrugged. "Your lives, not mine. I don't know how I'd like the idea of an outsider in my domain."

Mark chuckled. "And that's why you don't head a coven."

"Suits me well, I can barely handle Amanda and the shit Arthur throws my way," Harvey said, his eyes lighting up at the mention of his mate. "So, any news from your guys?"

"Nothing yet," Benjamin replied, then explained to Noah. "I got a couple of my warriors with me, Mark too. We kept it a secret in the pack. They're getting cameras around the club right now."

A few minutes later, four warriors joined them in the room. They were surprised when they saw Lillian, but Mark and Benjamin must have linked them because they greeted everyone, not saying a word about the oddity of having a human around.

One of them fiddled with the laptop. The screens lit up, showing the surveillance cameras' views of an old warehouse.

"The area surrounding the club consists mostly of warehouses. It isn't heavily constructed, and most buildings are either deserted or rarely frequented. The buildings are old, some of them are rented out to clubs or for events," One of Benjamin's warriors said. "We caught scents of vampires and witches around the warehouse in question, and a faint hint of a wolf."

"Lone wolf?" Mark surmised.

"Could be," Noah said. "If pack wolves are involved in this..."

"I'll tear their hearts out myself," Benjamin growled, watching the screens. The area around the warehouse was currently empty. A slight drizzle dampened the dark streets.

"Did you see anyone around?" Mark asked.

"Some vampires getting in and out, a van got in there when we were about to leave," one of Mark's warriors replied, her mouth set in a thin line. "Also, there are traces that the building's been through construction works."

"Meaning even if we manage to get a blueprint for the place, it's not going to be useful." Benjamin rubbed his forehead. "You should call Amanda back."

"No need to," Harvey said. There was a knock on the door. Seconds after a warrior went downstairs to open, a blonde woman with green eyes streaked in blue and hazel entered the room. In high heels and a white pantsuit, she was a perfect match for the man who stood to take her in his arms.

"There's been construction going on there," she said with an annoyed scowl, giving the warrior by the computer a data key. "I got the blueprint but it's useless."

"It's okay. Maybe it'll help," Harvey said, running his hand down her back. The female vampire had her eyes on Lillian though, her head cocked to the side moments before a grin broke free. "You're Lillian, aren't you? I finally got to meet you, though I wish it wasn't under these circumstances. How are your kids-"

"Amanda, sweetheart," Harvey said, putting his hands on her shoulders, holding her in place when she took a step to a surprised, unblinking Lillian. "Let's leave the chit chat for later."

Amanda looked sheepish, giving Lillian an apologetic smile. "Sorry, I tend to get carried away easily. Hi, Noah, how are you doing?"

"I'm doing great, thank you," Noah nodded, shifting in his seat.

He never knew what Amanda would say next. Considering she could smell Noah all over Lillian, he really hoped she wouldn't give his game away.

"I bet you're doing great." Her grin turned impish. "You didn't waste any time-"

"Amanda, honey. Take a seat," Harvey said, giving Mark a pointed look when the alpha coughed suspiciously. Amanda sat next to Lillian.

"Okay," Noah stood up. There were too many dominants in a small room, he had to move or he'd lash out. "What do we need to know?"

"Well, the building's plan would be great," Mark said. "If there is a basement, how to get there, how many immortals are there, what are their races..."

"There's a basement," Amanda said. "I think they'd definitely use it, but the problem is that they most likely changed the layout of the entire place."

"So we need a layout of the place. What else?" Harvey asked.

"Reconnaissance about their manpower," Mark said. "We can't just go in there with no idea of how many people they have, what people they have, witches are a pain in the ass in a fight, especially if they're at full power."

"The question is," Harvey said. "Who do we send in for reconnaissance? Do we approach someone with an invitation."

"That's a huge risk," Amanda said.

"We don't really have a choice, and sending one of our people would get them running away again. They probably have escape routes ready."

"What if we-"

"I can go."

Noah must have misheard. Slowly, he turned to Lillian. "What did you say?"

She lifted those blue eyes to him.

"I can go," she said with a shrug, as if she wasn't talking about infiltrating a club full of deviant immortals. "I'm human, I can go in. You said they only require invitations from immortals, right?"

Harvey mutely nodded, looking as surprised as everyone else in the room.

"Which means I can go in without raising any red flags."

"No." Noah's voice was a deep growl. "You're not going in there."

Lillian rolled her eyes. She actually rolled her eyes. "Noah, relax, I'll go in, get the information you need and get out."

"Well, it's a good idea-".

Noah's growl cut off the rest of Benjamin's words. The other alpha raised his hands. "No, listen. We can get her there with a hidden camera and a communication device. It could work, the only problem would be how to know the exact number of their men since we can't differentiate between them and humans on camera, but at least-"

Noah looked at Lillian, knowing what she was about to say. "Don't."

"I can do that," she said. "I can tell you how many witches, vampires and wolves are there."

"How?" Mark asked.

"I can tell the difference between humans and immortals."

"Lillian, with me, now," Noah growled out before turning on his feet and leaving the room.

He pounded down the stairs, hearing her soft footsteps behind her. He reached the empty living room and whirled around, his entire body ready to explode. A tight vise closed around his lungs.

"You're not going in there."

She stopped a few feet in front of him. "Noah, you should know better by now than to order me around."

Her words were light. She was trying to cut down the tension, but all he could think of were the million ways it could all go wrong.

"This isn't a game," he said. "You could seriously get hurt."

"I could get hurt doing a lot of things," she said, anger coloring her tone. "I thought it through while you guys were talking. I have a chance to help those women, and I will do it. You can't keep me in a bubble wrap, and you can't tell me what I can or can't do."

Noah saw red. "This is about more than just your damn useless pride! "

Noah's chest expanded in a deep breath, and he realized what he had said, that he had screamed the last part. Lillian's face closed off. Waves of rage rolled off of her.

"I'm going to do it," Lillian said in a deceptively calm tone. "Not because of my damn useless pride, but because it's the right thing to do. I won't stay sitting on my hands when I could be doing something to help those girls. So I will do it, and if you don't like it.. well, it's just too damn bad, because I don't give a shit. And Noah," she took a step forward, meeting his gaze with all the fury in hers. "Don't you ever raise your voice to me again."

Lillian side-stepped him to go back upstairs. Noah held her wrist. "Wait, Lillian-"

"Don't touch me." She wrenched her hand out of his grip, and rushed up the stairs.

Heart still battering inside his chest, Noah turned around, looking for a target of his wrath and punched the brick wall. Blood trickled down his hands, knuckles broken. But he felt nothing, the sting of it lost among the mess of his emotions. 

--- ---- ---

Hey guys! How did you like it?

I hope you enjoyed it. It's a bit of a cliffhanger, I know. But I'll try to update early!

Thank you all for your love. Don't forget to vote and comment <3

Much love.

M.B.