Noah was pacing his room, debating whether to track down his mate or leave her to explore in peace. Charles was with them. While Noah didn't trust the vampire to have Lillian's safety at the top of his list, he knew Elle was more than capable of keeping her safe.

But then the door of the condo slammed open. Noah and Sean were out in the living room in a heartbeat.

Lillian barged in, and the scent of her fear clogged Noah's nose, bringing his wolf to the surface and testing the threads of his control. Elle and Charles stayed at the door. A smart decision considering the situation.

Lillian stopped at the sight of him and his brother. Her chest heaved, as if she'd run a marathon, and her pulse skittered in her neck. The blue of her eyes was but a ring around her dilated pupils. She was terrified.

"Lillian?" Noah asked, taking a step closer. He scanned her from head to toe. She looked unharmed, at least physically.

Her eyes focused on him. She looked around her and swallowed. "Um... I'm sorry. I just..."

"What is it? What's wrong?" he asked softly, closing the distance between them slowly. If she flinched from him, he would be gutted. Much to his relief, she seemed to settle down.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, the scent of fear melted into thin air. Sean gave him a look and went outside to talk to Elle and Charles, closing the door behind him.

Lillian's shoulders slowly lost the tension. She opened her eyes and gave him a wobbly smile. "Sorry, I just... freaked out a little."

"Why?"

She bit her lips. Shaking her head, she sighed. "Nothing, I think it was just my imagination."

"Lillian. What was just your imagination?"

She chewed on her bottom lip. Noah couldn't resist any longer, he wrapped his arms around her and gathered her to his chest. With a sigh, she hugged him back.

"I'll tell you, but you have to promise me you won't run out of here in a rage."

Noah growled. "Did someone say something?"

"No. It's not that. I just thought that I saw..." She hesitated. "Promise, first."

"I don't make promises I can't keep," Noah said.

She huffed, her heartbeat slowing down and her breathing no longer chopped. Noah added, "But I'll try my best to be reasonable."

She was quiet for so long. Noah rubbed her back up and down. She took a steadying breath.

"I think I saw someone who looked like... who looked like the werewolf who..."

"Who raped you?" Noah finished. She nodded.

Red shuttered Noah's sight. He pulled away from Lillian and moved to the door, his wolf pushing to take over.

Lillian was in front of him in a blink. Her face set in determined lines. "You promised, Noah."

Noah's growl shook the walls. He closed his eyes, aware of fur pushing through his skin and his elongating fangs. His blood simmered in rage. He almost tasted the blood of his prey, the man who had hurt Lillian in the worst way.

Blood and retribution took over his mind. His wolf was pushing against his mind, and for the first time in so long, Noah was tempted to just let the beast rip out of him.

A soft touch on his arm. Lillian's scent, her soft voice. "You promised me, Noah. Don't break your promise."

With an enraged growl, Noah turned around and flipped the couch, sending it right through the glass walls. They shattered, and Noah turned, looking for something else to vent his fury.

Sean swung the door open and stood there, looking worried. He slipped inside, closed the door and leaned against it, keeping his eyes away from Noah's.

"Okay, I think the place doesn't need any more redecoration," Lillian said lightly. Her voice settled the wolf though his rage still simmered. She pulled on Noah's arm. When he didn't budge, she poked him in the ribs. "Noah, so help me God, if you touch another piece of furniture..."

Noah let himself be dragged to the armchair. Lillian pushed him down. His body was too high-strung to sit still. But he complied under Lillian's touch.

She was safe. That was all that mattered. He had the sudden urge to take her back to the pack, he wanted to call and check on the twins, he wanted to go out there and hunt down the bastard- just the thought made him snarl. Lillian sighed and sat on the arm of Noah's chair. Her fingers threaded in his hair, and Noah settled down a little more.

"What's wrong?" Sean asked, his voice quiet. "Elle said you suddenly freaked out."

"I just thought I saw someone." When Noah growled, she tugged on his hair. "I'm not even sure. It could be my imagination. Let's not cause trouble when the Council hasn't even started yet."

"I don't give a damn about the Council," Noah said, his voice guttural.

"Yes, yes, I know," she mumbled.

Noah wiped a hand down his face. The cloud of fury that spurred his wolf was subsiding under Lillian's gentle hands. He was thinking more clearly. There was no way he was going to stay still while the asshole who raped Lillian was out there, safe and sound.

But Lillian was right. Those accusations were heavy, and he needed to be sure it was the right person before he shredded him to pieces. For Lillian's sake, too.

"Sean, can you find out if Harvey is here?"

Sean raised a brow but nodded. He stepped outside and closed the door.

"What are you thinking?" Lillian whispered, her fingers digging into the muscles at the back of his neck.

He leaned forward with a sigh. "I'm going to make sure it's him."

Harvey was at the compound, and he gladly took over Noah's request. Lillian refused to tell Noah who she suspected. But she did tell Harvey, pointing out a picture from the profiles of the attending werewolves out of Noah's sight.

Now, as the sun sank to the horizon, Noah stifled another growl of annoyance.

The Council's first meeting was in session. The place was even more packed than the last Council meeting Noah attended six months ago.

Immortals sat in clusters around the meeting hall. The benched seats formed a U around the stage in the middle.

Lillian sat between Amanda and Elle right in front of Noah. Sean leaned closer and whispered, "aren't you going to tell me what happened?"

Noah barely glanced at his brother. He was too busy scanning the werewolves present in the hall. "It's not my thing to tell."

Sean raised a brow and switched to linking. "As long as you don't flip out like that again. It's been a while since I saw you that pissed off."

"No promises," Noah linked. It all depended on what Harvey found out.

There was one way to find out for sure if the werewolf Lillian saw was the one who raped her. He already gave orders to Jennifer to cooperate with the vampire Harvey would send, after getting Lillian's permission.

Noah's mind kept going over what Lillian had told him about the night she was raped. She'd said all she could remember clearly were the man's eyes. Hazel eyes, she'd said.

Now, he looked every werewolf in the eyes, in vain. He wanted to see if anyone was paying a little too much attention to Lillian. But they all were. Werewolf and other, all looked at Lillian and then at him after noticing his scent all over her.

He ignored the disapproving looks of most immortals. He couldn't care less what they thought.

He needed to know the results of the DNA test. They could have used witches to find out if the bastard was the twins' biological father. But they would need enough blood from the twins and the wolf, and the blood must be fresh. With the distance between them and the twins, and the fact they didn't want to spook the wolf in question, a DNA test would have to do.

Harvey tasked a "particularly swift-handed" vampire, Harvey's words, with getting a DNA sample from the wolf in question.

Arthur was on the stage with Venus, his sister and one of the Five, Taro, who was the head of the International Witchcraft community, the representative of the fae delegation, the speaker of the Council, and Benjamin, who argued fiercely with his hands, looking pissed. What was going on there?

Someone stood over them. Noah pulled in the familiar scent and felt his lips twitch in a snarl. Sean's body gained a subtle tension.

"A human, Noah? Really?" the man said out loud. He was an old Alpha, a friend of Noah's father. He stood there, his second in command next to him, both looking at Lillian. The alpha's face sported a long, reddish beard and his eyes were a soft brown. Noah looked at the second in command. Blue eyes. Not hazel.

Lillian glanced over her shoulder at the two men, frowning. Noah kept his gaze firmly ahead.

"I thought they were just rumors," the alpha continued. "I never thought that you of all people would take a human into your pack. And as your mate, nonetheless. What has the world come to? Your father would be turning in his grave."

Sean's fists tightened on his thighs. Noah was furious already, he only needed the slightest excuse to vent his anger on the man. He chuckled. "You better remember who put my father there, in the first place."

Stunned silence. "Are you threatening me, boy?"

Noah lounged in his seat, looking deceptively relaxed, but his wolf was so close to the surface only the most idiotic of immortals would think him calm. "Take it as you will, old man. Just stay out of my business."

"Maybe the human will see reason," the alpha said, looking at Lillian. She looked back over her shoulder at him. The immortals around them all watched the interaction closely. "He's an alpha wolf. He must have a strong female werewolf as a mate. A human is not fit to stand by his side. Even if you turn into a vampire, you will never understand our way of life the way a werewolf would."

Noah felt a vein pulse in his temple. He was a word away from throwing caution to the wind and attacking the man right then and there. His hand flexed on the table.

Lillian turned in her seat and put her hand on his. She met the alpha's gaze head on. "Do you think Noah is a good alpha?" she asked, her voice calm.

The alpha frowned, glancing at Noah. "He's strong," he admitted. "And his pack has become stronger since he took over. So he is a good one, I guess."

"Then you should trust that he's going to make the right decision when it comes to his own mate, no?" She raised her brow. The alpha narrowed his eyes on her. She didn't look away, she didn't blink. Tension built up.

Noah growled low. The alpha finally grunted, his gaze on Lillian no longer superior. "Hmm. Maybe he does."

The second in command said something in a voice too low for Noah to catch, and the two wolves turned and left. Sean stared back after them, his eyes glowing amber.

"You have the temper of a saint," Elle told Lillian.

Lillian chuckled, giving Noah's hand one last squeeze before letting go. "Raising twin boys is a good way to develop patience."

"Elle would have skewered the man with one of her daggers," Amanda said.

Elle scoffed. "No, I wouldn't. My daggers are too precious." She turned forward as the stage emptied except for the Speaker. "I would have burned holes in his beard."

Lillian laughed, and the sound quieted Noah's wolf.

The speaker of the Council, a tall black female witch, took the center of the stage and hit the staff in her hand once on the floor. The sound echoed around the hall.

Silence. The speaker briefed everyone on the situation with the kidnapped females and the illegal club.

"Lady Venus has confirmed that the hex on Galvin's mind was of similar nature to the hex on Santos' mind, and that the origin of the hex was one," the speaker said, "as you were all informed, Blazius is responsible for providing Galvin with blood-magic means to infiltrate the packs and requesting the unmated females. Blazius has been in hiding since six months ago. Whoever has information about his whereabouts must step forward, or they will be treated as an accomplice in his crimes."

The space buzzed with whispers.

"Now, to Galvin's punishment," The speaker said. "As a vampire, he falls under the Five's rule. The Five have agreed to release Galvin and all vampires involved in this crime to the Werewolves. You will inform us of your decision for their punishment as soon as you agree upon it."

The werewolves' spirit obviously rose. Sounds of approval echoed around the hall. The speaker moved on.

"Now to the witches' involvement," the speaker said. Her features tightened. Noah had a bad feeling about this. "The witches decided that the punishment of their people would be agreed upon by the Council."

Growls shook the walls and wolves stood to their feet.

"Like hell they will!" A wolf up front cried, shooting to his feet. "Those witches betrayed the trust of our packs and hurt our females. It's only fair that the wolves get the right to exact justice!"

Cries of agreement rose in the air. Tension thickened. The witches' representatives, all sitting down in a group down front, did not look at the wolves.

The speaker tapped her staff on the ground twice. "Order, please."

There was no reasoning with the wolves. The alphas whose female members had been kidnapped all looked at the witches like they wanted nothing more than to eat them alive.

Arthur stood up and joined the speaker on the stage. People quieted down. He spoke in a low voice that carried to every corner of the room and sent chills down Noah's spine.

"You might not like it, but it is law," Arthur said. "When an immortal is accused of a crime against someone from another race, it remains in the discretion of the culprit's race to decide who will be responsible for the punishment."

"That might be the law," one of the wolves said, "but it's also common courtesy, even a tradition, to give the aggrieved ones their right for justice!"

"It is a tradition," Arthur said, looking directly at Taro, the head of the Witch community. "Unfortunately, we cannot force others to follow tradition. It is only laws we are responsible for protecting."

More protests rose. Arthur's raised hand silenced the crowd.

"Justice will be met," Arthur said. "It might not be by the hands of wolves alone, but it will be met. I will personally see that it does. There's nothing we hate more than traitors. Isn't that right, Taro?"

The accusation rang loud and clear in the silence. Taro raised his chin, meeting Arthur's gaze head on. Arthur smiled, and Noah fought the urge to look away from him. That smile was a promise of death and pain.

Arthur gave the stage back to the speaker, taking back his seat.

Lillian, in front of him, shuddered. "Your mate is so scary," she whispered to Elle.

Elle chuckled, delighted. "I know, right? That's so hot."

The three women giggled, and Sean turned with an amused smile to his brother.

"I'll never understand women," Sean linked him, and Noah agreed. But he had an interest in understanding only one woman in particular.

*** **** ***

"Okay, you need to stop looking for him," Lillian said, looking more amused than anything. They strolled to their condo, going through the dark woods behind the buildings instead of the well-traveled paths.

"He wasn't in the hall, was he?" Noah asked.

Lillian shuddered. Stepping closer to Noah, she wrapped her arm around his waist. "Why do you say that?"

"You didn't seem particularly afraid."

"I wasn't afraid, because you were right there," she said. Unaware of the impact her words had on him, she continued, "but I did keep my gaze firmly away from him because I knew you might be watching me for any hint."

"I can't wait for what Harvey finds out," Noah grumbled, wrapping his arm around Lillian's shoulders.

She was scared. But there was something more.

"What's bothering you?" Noah asked.

She stopped and looked at him. The sparse trees allowed the moonlight through. Lillian bit her lips, and they glistened like crushed rubies. Noah focused on her face. She might hide it well, but she was terrified of something. "What if... If he's the twins' father, what if he asks for them-"

Noah growled. "No one will take the twins away from us. No one. He's a rapist and the only thing he will get is punishment."

Lillian stepped back and hugged herself. "But what if they don't believe me? What if they don't believe I was..."

Noah's heart hurt for the fear and doubt that clouded her eyes. Angry at the people who made her doubt herself and the wrongness of what she'd been through.

He took her by the shoulders and lowered his head towards hers. "They will believe you. And if anyone doesn't, it's their problem. I believe you. Amanda believes you. The right people will believe you. And if anyone else makes you doubt the fact that you were a victim that night, I will crush their throats until they can no longer utter nonsense."

Tears shimmered in her eyes. Her lip trembled, and a heartbreaking sob escaped them before she threw herself in his arms. Noah held her while she cried, wondering how anyone could have made her feel that what she had been through wasn't horrible. To the point where she couldn't even utter the word rape in relation to herself, as if afraid someone would tell her she was a liar, invalidate what she had been through.

He held her while she unraveled, rubbed her back while she stifled her sobs and made him wish he could hunt down every single person who hurt her in her past. He held her until she gathered herself and her hiccups subsided.

"Thank you," she whispered, and for the first time, Noah felt an echo of something soft and warm and so very potent in his chest. He pulled back and looked at her while she wiped her face. It didn't seem like she felt it, but it was the most palpable Noah had felt the bond between them.

He kissed her head and they picked their way to the house.

Lillian groaned. "I hope your brother isn't there. I must look like I just cried."

Noah smiled. "You did just cry."

"You know what I mean," she grumbled, wiping her face again and sniffing. She mumbled, "Stupid red nose."

Noah urged her forward. Lillian was one of the strongest people he knew. She would be fine, whatever came her way.

Much to Lillian's relief, Noah's brother wasn't home. The place looked like it had that morning when they just arrived. The glass wall was repaired and the couch was back to its place. Lillian raised her eyebrows at the glass wall. He shouldn't be surprised, really, he expected no less from Arthur.

"By the way," she said once they were in their room. "What did you guys decide? For Galvin's punishment."

"He will be hunted down by werewolves," Noah said. At her confused look, he explained. "It's the usual punishment wolves choose."

Lillian went into the closet and called from there. "You say it like I'm supposed to know what it is. Do you just let them go and then chase them?"

Noah sat down on the bed and listened to the sound of clothes rustling. "That's exactly what we do."

Lillian stepped out with a stack of clothes and a frown. "Okay, you have to explain this to me like I'm a human who just moved into a pack of wolves."

Noah chuckled at her dry tone. "It's usually done in the woods at night. Werewolves surround an area, in the middle of which the culprit is released. Then the wolves hunt him down."

The wolves mostly toyed with the culprit for a long time, catching him and then letting him go, giving him hope and then taking it away. It was cruel.

"I can't even imagine, with the night and the quiet, the feeling of being hunted down by something you can't see." Lillian shuddered. "What about the witches?"

"That's going to be more complicated." Noah sighed and leaned back with his hands on the bed.

Lillian's eyes flickered to his chest, and blood rushed to her face. She cleared her throat and turned around. "I'll take a shower first." Then she fled into the bathroom.

With a smile, Noah went to get a change of clothes from the closet. He linked his brother while waiting for Lillian to finish.

"Did you see Harvey again?"

"You just spoke to the man an hour ago," Sean linked back. "If he has any news, he'll let you know."

"I know."

The sound of the shower turning on had Noah looking at the closed door. Lillian must be in there, showering- Don't think about that. Do NOT think about that.

With a groan, Noah threw his clothes on the bed and stepped out of the temptation-filled room. He wouldn't leave Lillian in the condo alone, so the farthest he went was the kitchen. He pulled out his phone and called Jennifer. He might as well check on the twins.

By the time the shower turned off, Elijah and Ezra were telling Noah all about their time in the training ground.

Lillian peeked out of the bedroom, her damp hair darkening the white sweatshirt and her feet peeking from the too long pajama pants.

"Do you want to talk to your mother?" he asked the twins.

"Yes!" the twins replied at the same time.

Lillian grinned, skipping on her tiptoes towards him. He left her curled on the couch and went to take his own shower. The scent of her in the bathroom had him wishing she was here with him.

Patience. He reminded himself. Patience.

Thoughts of the wolf Lillian had suspected ran wild in his head. He wanted nothing more than to find the bastard and torture him until he admitted to what he did.

But there were laws, as much as their world was ruled by violence. When Noah took justice of the man, he wanted to be sure it was the right person.

He would just have to wait for Harvey's results.

Steam preceded him to the room. He closed the bathroom door behind him and stopped, his heart fluttering at the sight. Lillian leaned against the headboard, a book open on her lap, the cover pulled up to her waist, and her hair highlighted by orange from the bedside lamps.

Two mugs bellowed steam on the bedside table next to her. Noah forced his feet to move to the bed, his heart beating in his throat. He slipped under the cover next to her.

"Tea?" She gave him one of the mugs. Chamomile.

It warmed his heart before it warmed his hands. Being cared for was a novel experience. "Thank you. You didn't have to."

"I know." She closed her book, put it aside and sipped her own mug.

Her scent was in every breath he inhaled. Noah settled back against the pillows with a heavy sigh. The last time he felt this comfortable was... he couldn't even remember.

Lillian traced senseless patterns on the sheet, the mug held forgotten on one knee. He had a feeling he knew what she was thinking. The alpha's words about his father were still fresh in his mind. Lillian was naturally curious. It was a wonder she hadn't asked him about it yet, or maybe it was a measure of her patience.

"You can ask, you know," he finally said.

She blinked. "I assumed you don't want to talk about it. No one in the pack ever does."

Noah downed the rest of his tea, burning his throat. "It's not pleasant. It was a difficult time for those who remember it."

"Your father?" she whispered.

"It started with my mother," Noah said, staring at the dim corners, as if speaking the words brought the darkness in his past to this room. "She was killed by humans."

--- ---- ---

Hello guys! 

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M.B.