My heart pounded so hard and fast that it felt like it leapt into my throat with each thump. My old pack. Here. They were calling out to Ben like they were old friends. Why? My cat raged inside me, ready for the fight that was sure to come.

My eyes were locked on Ben as he held my daughter. Something even more primal than the animal pacing within me surfaced as I connected the dots in my mind. He had led them here.

How? How could he do that? I knew Ben. He was a good person but he was almost too good. They could've manipulated him into telling him where I was. Maybe they simply followed him. I didn't know. All I knew was that my daughter was in danger.

My voice trembled with rage as I snarled, "Give me my daughter, Ben. Now."

"Why are you pissed at me?" His eyes sparked with confusion and anger.

"Pissed at you? Pissed? That doesn't cover it. No word known to man can. I could spit fire and it wouldn't be enough to tell you how I feel. Give me my daughter."

Ben had the gall to look confused, but when I let out a low, warning growl he handed Ana to me. I held my squirming daughter to my chest as I stared daggers into his eyes.

I could feel the stares of my old pack members boring into my back. Most wouldn't be too upset to see their old pack, but mine had done terrible things. Their snickers pierced my ears, even over the steady rumble of the tractor. I was glad they found this so hilarious. It gave me even more reason to smash their faces in.

I knew that those two snickering assholes had something to do with what happened to Izzy. They were in thick with that smarmy Alpha. And Ben lead those monsters here. To my daughter.

"You need to leave," I barked out to Ben.

"Leave?" Ben sounded incredulous. "Why the hell would I do that? Seriously, I don't understand why you're so mad. Is it those guys? I don't even know them."

"I don't care. You need to leave. I can't deal with you and them right now."

My back stiffened as the tour passed directly behind us, the tractor slowly pulling my old packmates within striking distance.

"I'm not leaving you like this." He glanced at the two men behind me. "There's obviously something going on."

I ground my teeth together. I was furious at him for leading my pack here, but I didn't have time to hash this out. I needed to get my daughter out of here.

My anger and fear were warring inside me. Ana started to whine. I stepped forward and put her in the stroller, then met Petunia's gaze. "Please, take her inside. Those men are from my old pack."

"If they are," Petunia said stiffly, "I will simply—"

I shook my head. "I don't know how many more of them are here, and she'll be safe inside with you and Peter. Please."

She nodded briskly as understanding flickered in the amber glow of her fae eyes. She gestured to the stroller. "Peter."

He nodded and grabbed the handles and booked it in the direction of the main house. Something unclenched inside me. Ana would be safe soon.

"If there's a problem here, then we should all go."

"No." I suddenly knew how to get him out of my hair and protect my daughter and the Greenhavens. "I can handle them. I need you to go make sure they get to the house safely with Ana."

"But, Aly—"

"What if there are more? The Greenhavens will need help protecting Ana." Suddenly my own words sent panic running through me. My eyes flicked toward the rapidly retreating forms of my adopted grandparents. "Go with them!"

Ben eyes flashed silver as he gave me a hard look, then turned and dashed through the orchard after the Greenhavens. I hoped there were no others waiting for them.

I turned around to face the threat coming up behind me as I listened to Ben pound through the trees. Suddenly the noise stopped and he was silent—he must have let his wolf take control.

I clenched my jaw as my old packmates sauntered up to me. The rest of the tourists had long since disappeared into the trees. They would be finishing up the tour soon. The biggest problem with a trailer pulled by a tractor was the ease which someone could jump out.

I fought to suppress a snarl. I didn't want to tip my hand. They didn't need to know how badly I wanted to tear their throats out. It was best if they thought I was weak and defenseless. They would happily underestimate me.

The only reason they were smirking so much was because they thought they had me now. They could come over and play since the big bad wolf was gone and the witnesses were out of sight. I immediately recognized them and I wasn't surprised by who they were. Robby and Seth—part of the new Alpha's inner circle.

I hadn't ever really liked either of them. They treated me fine but there was something in their eyes. I always felt like they were either sizing me up or undressing me in their mind. I wrote them off as pervs and went on with my life. Silly, silly me.

I cursed myself for being so blind. I let myself ignore all the bad because there were a few good people I loved in that pack. People they were hurting for God knows how long, right under my stupid nose—people like Izzy.

"Aly-cat, is that you? Why'd you have to go run off like that in the middle of the night?" Seth chuckled. "It's a good thing your buddy Ben led us here. We wouldn't have found you otherwise. Where did he go? It would've been nice to catch up with our new friend."

I didn't respond. I stood perfectly still. They were holding back for now, but I could practically feel how thirsty they were for my blood. They wanted to toy with me. Make me sweat. Typical cats. I would make them regret it.

"It's a good thing you're here, Alysse," Robby began. "We've missed you. You didn't even say goodbye. That hurt."

"She said goodbye loud and clear when she let her sister break Colton's leg in half," Seth added with dark, angry eyes.

"She's her own woman," I replied flatly. "I didn't let her do it. Gleefully encouraged, sure."

"So much for loyalty among pack members, hm? Oh—cute baby I saw there. Yours, isn't she? I could smell you on her from all the way back there. It's a shame you got yourself knocked up by a wolf, though. He's the daddy, isn't he? Looked just like him."

I clenched my back teeth together and ground out, "What's it matter to you?"

"Well, you see how that coward just ran off?" Robby continued. "A real man, a cougar, would've stood his ground."

"Gee, I'm sorry my life choices have screwed with your pack purity, but last I heard, normal people mate with whoever the hell they want."

"Even if that were true . . ." Seth curled his lip back in disgust, "you had a pack full of cougars who would've done you up right and you stooped to a common mutt?"

"Done me up right? Do you guys actively try to emulate cavemen, or does it just come naturally?" I asked dryly. I was amazed that I managed to sound so calm because my blood was pulsing through my veins. I trembled with unvented rage as it reached a feverish boiling point inside me. I was so angry that I barely registered the fear beneath it all.

"Oh, Aly," Robby let out a disappointed sigh, "you always were such a bitch."

Seth looked me up and down, ill intent in his eyes. "I look forward to breaking you."

"Sweetheart, I would break you first," I seethed.

Robby tsked and wagged a finger in the air. I wanted to bite it off.

"Now, now. Is that any way to talk to your dear friends? What're we going to do, Seth? Seems like little Aly-cat can't keep her claws from coming out."

A slow smirk spread across Seth's smug face. "Well, Robby, we'll have to teach her a lesson."

"What sort of lesson, boys?" I cocked my head to the side. "I already know how pathetic you are. I don't need a demonstration."

Satisfaction coursed through me as the humor slowly leaked out of their expressions.

Seth's eyes turned blue as his cougar looked out. When I glanced over at Robby, I saw his were the same. Robby suddenly shifted, ripping his clothes to shreds. I let out a long warning growl, but they didn't back away. Instead, they slowly started to move forward, one to my left, the other to my right. One still human, one cougar.

Fear coiled in my stomach, but I knew I could take these morons. Neither one could find his own ass with both hands. I'd knock them sideways and teach them a lesson about how to treat a woman. I might not be able to take them both at the same time, but they were stupid enough that I could get them to fight me one on one.

"C'mon, Seth." I crooked a finger at him, a brow arched. "Now's your chance to break me. You don't want Robby taking all the credit, do you?"

Seth snarled, his cat surfacing in his eyes. My stomach churned as I realized it wasn't an angry snarl, but an excited one. He liked that idea, didn't he? A nasty smile lifted the corners of his lips, confirming my sickening thought.

"Stand back, Robby," Seth said with a commanding growl, "I've got this."

I resisted the urge to laugh as the cougar backed off to the sidelines, tail flicking through the air. They were so predictable. Seth stalked forward, his eyes bright with excitement that seemed to grow with each step. It amazed me that I had let these assholes slip under my radar for so long.

Seth was so confident that he didn't even come in swinging. He reached out for me like I was going to wilt on the spot, intimidated by his unbelievable manliness. I narrowed my eyes. Joke's on him. I was ten times the man he was, and I took a martial arts class my last semester of college.

The moment he was close enough, I grabbed him by the wrist and jerked him forward. I slammed my free hand into his chin—which snapped his neck back—then flipped him onto the ground. He landed with a thud and a loud groan.

I took several steps back, then snorted and kicked some dirt at him. "Hey, how you gonna break me from down there, buddy?"

Despite my snark, I was acutely aware of Robby starting to pace on the sidelines. His cougar's tail was flicking faster, a low growl rumbling from him. Let's just hope they play fair.

Seth got to his feet, a hand rubbing at his jaw. "You're going to wish you hadn't done that."

"I gotta be honest, I'm feeling pretty good about it so far."

Robby growled, and I quickly glanced at him. He was still in the same place as before. A second too late I realized it was a deliberate distraction. I snapped my attention back to Seth, but he was already moving forward. Before I could react, his fist landed square in my stomach. I let out a pained wheeze as I slumped over, but I knew I couldn't give them any openings. I barked out a laugh with what air was left in my lungs.

"Is that all you got?" I mocked as I straightened up and lightly stepped back. Truth be told, Seth had a pretty solid right hook and my stomach would probably have a bruise to prove it.

"I have to take it slow if I want to break you, don't I?" Seth mused with a smirk.

My cat roared inside me and pushed to the surface. It wanted me to shift, but I couldn't risk it. Two cougars on one wouldn't end in my favor. I had to play them just right and hope I either managed to knock Seth out, or pray for a miracle. For now, my goal was to knock this idiot out.

I rushed forward and feigned striking from the right. He fell for it and dodged my non-existent hit, moving into my real attack. I nailed him so hard from the left that he fell to the ground once more. I leapt on top of him and started wailing. I got in a few solid hits when my world was tossed askew.

My body flew through the air and I cried out as my head thumped against the ground. Pain shot through my jaw. I felt like a truck had just collided with my side in a solid wall of agony. My body protested and groaned, but I forced myself to get up once again.

Robby paced in front of Seth, no longer on the sidelines. He must have plowed into me. He stayed between us as Seth slowly picked himself back up. His clothes were ripped. He had a split lip and a fresh bruise forming on his cheek. He winced as he moved, favoring his ribs. In short, he looked like shit. Good, he deserved it.

As I watched him with some sort of sick satisfaction, I felt something trickle at the corner of my lips. I brushed my fingers against the warmth and they came away stained red. Nice work, Robby. I clenched my hand into a fist and forced out a laugh as I wiped the rest of the blood away.

"Way to sucker punch me, you flea-ridden troglodyte. So much for honorable combat, right?"

Neither reacted to my insults. They didn't seem to care that I thought they were cowards. Of course not. They only cared about being on top. Typical, selfish idiots. As they circled around me, I flicked my eyes back and forth, straining my ears as I listened to their every movement. They might have thought they had the advantage, but I had something they didn't.

The rage of a new mom.