They hadn’t been feeding Mihai’s sister very well in his absence. She looked haggard, tired.

Like she’d been put through hell.

He clenched his fists, trying to leash his anger. Other than being worse for wear, she seemed to be in one piece. With Sean, he’d be able to get those damned dog tags off her. Even seeing them now put him in a blind rage where he just wanted to rip them off, even though the chain was unbreakable.

Nathalie offered him a small smile. “Hey, big brother. Where have you been?”

“I’ve been...safe,” he said, settling on a vague version of the truth. After all, it was still possible Phaeron could listen into their conversation through her tags. “What are you doing out here?”

She licked her lips. “A nightly reconnaissance mission,” she said quickly. “Phaeron is paranoid about someone sneaking up on his castle without him knowing.”

Hearing the words made Mihai nearly snarl. Those sorts of menial missions were left for delta werewolves. Not a beta wolf who was once the second-in-command. Not someone as fierce as Nathalie.

“Listen, Mihai,” she said, reaching for his arm, “you have to get out of here. If Aaron finds you—”

“I’ve found a way to get rid of those,” he told her, nodding to the metal plates around her neck. “And a place where you can live in peace.”

She blinked and let out a snort, although it wasn’t meant to be mocking—more just disbelief driving her denial of what happened. “Impossible. Mihai, you know that’s not—”

“It is true,” Sean said earnestly, and she turned her full attention on the omega warlock, her eyes widening as her nostrils flared, scenting him. “Mihai doesn’t have his tags anymore.”

She whirled back on Mihai and felt around the collar of his tunic, searching for the telltale clinking of the tags. She was so frantic about it, she was tickling Mihai and he chuckled goodnaturedly.

“They’re not there,” she whispered, coming to terms with the truth. She looked up and met his eyes. “How?”

Mihai grinned down at her as he reached for Sean. “Nathalie, I’d like for you to meet my mate. Sean.”

Her eyes widened as she took the two of them in at once. “An omega warlock?”

Sean nodded. “Pleased to meet you, too,” he said with a laugh. “Mihai has told me so much about you.”

Nathalie looked like she was about to say something more, but she was cut off by a voice that made Mihai shiver.

Pyt sidled up close to Mihai, darting his eyes about the scenery. “We have company,” he hissed in the werewolf’s ear. “We need to get going.”

Mihai felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. No, they weren’t alone anymore. But he’d be damned if he left his little sister with these assholes any longer.

“You look worried, double Alpha,” another voice said from above their heads, Everyone, including Nathalie, whipped their heads towards the tall evergreen trees that lay at the foot of the mountains leading up to Phaeron’s castle. A laugh sounded throughout the dusk sky.

Aaron dropped from the limbs of a huge tree, landing on all fours like a cat shifter instead of a werewolf. The beta wolf rose to his feet, giving Mihai a lopsided smile.

“It seems that our fearless leader has come back to join his pack.” His gaze shifted to Sean, who stiffened in fear. “Because, after all, you brought Phaeron his omega warlock. The one he asked you to bring back.”

Aaron was trying to drive a wedge between him and Sean. He refused to let a sliver of doubt enter his mate’s mind. He grabbed Sean’s hand and gave it a comforting squeeze.

“We’re here to save you,” Mihai announced, his voice clear. He saw movement in the trees beyond their little circle, surrounding the Drelos and the small pack of free wolves. His pack of wolves was acting under Phaeron’s orders. “We’re here to save you all,” he said, his voice louder.

Aaron shook his head. “From what? You can’t save us from what we want.” He held out his arms, indicating the area around them.

Mihai stared at him. “You want to be kept on Phaeron’s leash?”

The beta wolf stepped forward with a menacing snarl. “We want glory and victory. And if that’s through Phaeron’s orders, then so be it.”

“You’re such a fool,” Sean said, clicking his tongue in disappointment, “if you think Phaeron gives a damn about you. I’ve been on the run for years because Phaeron hunted down my kind this entire time.”

Aaron turned his attention to him and snickered, looking him up and down. “Well, well, well, if it isn’t the omega warlock that turned an alpha against his pack.” He crossed his arms. “Phaeron promised you to all us werewolves. Any way to get the werewolf/warlock hybrid he’s always wanted.” He gave Sean a sultry expression and slowly licked his lips that made even Mihai feel violated. “I’ll mate with you, omega. Show you what it’s like to be with a real alpha.”

Mihai watched as Sean paled, and an overwhelming need to protect him came over the alpha.

“I’ll kill you before you land a hand on him,” Mihai growled, stepping in front of Sean. “You’re not getting anywhere near Sean.”

Aaron regarded him for a long moment, before throwing back his head and laughing. “Oh, this is so rich!” he howled with laughter, and tittering sounded in the woods around them, at the pack mocking them. “You’ve mated with the omega warlock! I’d heard you had, I couldn’t believe it. But it’s really true. ” He slapped his knee, like it was the funniest joke he’d ever heard. “You’ve really screwed the pooch, Mihai. But he’s not even a pooch—he’s a warlock!”

“I will rip out your tongue,” Mihai swore.

But Aaron wasn’t done yet. Because he inhaled deeply, his eyes closed, before opening them and looking at the couple with renewed interest. “Oh, this is an interesting development.”

Mihai gritted his teeth, hating how Aaron was drawing out this confrontation. He should just shift into his werewolf form and rip out Aaron’s throat. But something about the way the beta wolf was speaking made him stop.

And Aaron knew that he had his complete attention. “It seems that our dear omega warlock has already been impregnated. By Mihai.”

Both Mihai and Sean froze as the full weight of Aaron’s words hit them at the same time. Sean peered over at Mihai, the question in his gaze.

Pregnant?

Mihai had always wanted children, especially with a mate he loved and wanted to care for. They hadn’t been careful in their lovemaking over the past few weeks, but he never thought that Sean would have conceived.

He scented the air once, testing for the truth. And to his utter fascination, he found that it was true.

Sean was pregnant.

With his baby.

“I’m going to be an aunt,” Nathalie said in amazement, breaking through his thoughts. She sounded just as excited as Mihai felt.

Aaron snickered, making Mihai’s blood boil, that this tender moment would be ruined by this war-mongering wolf. “You’ll be the aunt of a weapon for the vampire king,” he said. He shook his head in mock disappointment. “Pity that I’ll have to wait my turn in line to impregnate you, Omega. Don’t worry.” He grinned menacingly. “I’ll make you forget Mihai in the process.”

Something in Mihai’s head snapped. He charged the beta werewolf with a roar, shifting into his wolf form as he did so. There were no more words in his mind, nothing that could be said to stop him. His mate had been threatened. His future children had been threatened.

There was no way in hell he’d let Aaron survive after this.

He caught the man by surprise. Aaron sidestepped, snarling, but not before Mihai’s claws ripped through the flesh of his arm.

“Oh, now you want to play?” Aaron thundered. “Don’t you realize—if you lose, I’ll take your place as alpha.”

Bring it, bitch, Mihai snarled at him. Somewhere behind him, Nathalie translated for Sean and the Drelos.

“Gladly. Enjoy these last moments as alpha,” Aaron sneered, before he, too, shifted and charged Mihai.

Mihai was ready for him. He took the full brunt of his force, catching Aaron bodily as he slammed into him. The two wolves met in a clash, stirring up dirt and twigs from the forest floor while fur and blood went flying.

Mihai knew that he was getting injured from the fight. He knew that he was pushing himself to the limit, that he’d gone berserk and that nothing short of an act of God would make him stop.

But it would be a cold day in hell when he’d let Aaron win. He fought harder than he ever had before, because it wasn’t just his honor or his title on the line.

It was his love for Sean.

And their unborn child.

The thought of the life growing inside the omega warlock spurred Mihai forward, and before he knew it, he hauled Aaron by the scruff of his neck and tossed him bodily into the base of a tree. Aaron’s head connected with a root with a sickening crunch, followed by a whimper, and the wolf slid to the ground in a heap.

For a moment, the entire forest was silent, save for Mihai’s heavy breathing.

I. Win, he growled.

He could sense, without looking, that the pack of wolves that surrounded them were dissipating, retreating back to Phaeron’s fortress, no doubt to tell him what happened. He’d follow them. And he’d free them, even if they had betrayed him.

For a breathless moment, he thought he had killed Aaron—and good riddance—but the beta werewolf shifted back into his human form, naked and bleeding. He opened his eyes and looked at Mihai in horror.

“No,” he said breathlessly. “No! I can’t lose! I can’t!”

“You lost,” Sean said, stepping forward to stand beside his mate. “If you had half a brain, you’d stop.”

“Give up, Aaron,” Natalie drawled.

Aaron narrowed his eyes at them, before shaking his head. He only said one word.

“No.”

And he flung a fistful of sand and dirt into Mihai’s eyes, before turning tail and fleeing into the forest. The act had been so cowardly and fast, it caught Mihai off-guard, and he threw back his head and roared in agony. Funny how he could go through an entire fight, but a handful of dirt could stop him in his tracks.

The adrenaline was wearing off. And he felt so damn tired.

“Aaron!” Nathalie yelled as his eyes were closed running into the underbrush. “You can’t run forever!”

Mihai knew that he would certainly try. Although once Aaron returned, he may not be second anymore.

Then again, the rules had been changing for them all.

Mihai shifted back to a human and shook his head, trying to knock the dirt from his eyes. “Dammit,” he muttered, pawing at his eyes.

“Here,” Sean said somewhere to his right. Mihai sighed as a cold compress was pressed against his aching eyes. “Keep that there until the burning goes away. I have spare clothes when you’re ready.”

Mihai grinned at him gratefully, even if he couldn’t quite see the omega warlock. “Thanks, love.”

“Are you okay, otherwise?” Sean asked. “About...”

“About the baby?” Mihai smiled brilliantly. “I’m happier than I’ve ever been. We’ll have to talk about it later, but...I’m here for the long run.”

The double alpha werewolf and the omega warlock shared a smile, lost in their own world. For the moment, everything was perfect.

Nathalie came back a few minutes later. “Lost him,” she snarled, unhappy with herself. “Aaron’s probably halfway back to Phaeron’s by now,” she snarled, “They’ll be prepared for us there.”

“Let him,” Mihai said. “At least he’ll get everyone ready for us.” He nodded at the tags around her neck. “Are you hanging in there?”

Her fingers went to the tags, and despite her pale face, she grimly nodded. “For the moment. Just help me get these off soon, okay?”

Mihai always knew that his sister was tough, but this just confirmed it.

“I’ll gladly take them off,” Sean said.

“Help me up,” Mihai said, and the omega and Nathalie helped him to his feet. He looked around and met Pyt’s and Mary’s gaze. “Are you ready? We have some werewolves to save.”

Mary nodded. “Absolutely.”

“Free wolves mean a free Pristat,” Pyt agreed.

Mihai turned back to Nathalie and gestured for her to take point. “Lead the way.”