Riley fell asleep at one point and woke up to the door opening. The room had fallen silent after discussions had ended hours before. She looked up at the clock on the wall and felt her heart stutter.

Eight hours. Eight long hours.

“Brenton Kingson?” A female voice called in softly. Riley sat up straight and frowned. She didn’t recognize the voice very well. A distant memory. Riley saw a flash of ice-blonde hair.

“I thought I told you to meet me here,” Brenton growled softly, next to Riley again on the couch. Sheriff was on her other side.

“I had some things to take care of,” Jessie sighed, walking in. Riley was astounded to see her again. Jessie Erikson had helped kidnap Riley months before, along with Riley’s ex, Trevor. Her world had changed so much since the last time she saw the lioness. Jessie still had the ripped and rocking body that Riley remembered though. “One very major thing,” Jessie coughed softly, “but I have been in the hospital the entire time. I promise.”

“Well, damn,” Thomas groaned. “Now we have a pregnant female in the mix. What in God’s name is going on?” He looked over to Riley and Brenton, and Riley felt Brenton shrug with her.

“When I was trying to get to Andrew, knowing something was going down, I realized I couldn’t shift,” Jessie sighed, rolling her eyes up to the ceiling. “Sure enough, I’m about ten weeks along.”

“You can’t shift?” Riley asked, confused.

“You don’t know any female shifters, do you?” Jessie laid her eyes on Riley. “Once a pregnancy progresses far enough, we can’t shift. The science behind it is sketchy, at best, but it’s our lot in life. Don’t let them knock you up, it’s a pain.”

“And who knocked you up?” Brenton asked carefully. “And damn, you must have been pregnant when they caught your scent on our property.”

“It would have been too early for it really to be noticeable in my scent, but yeah, I’ve realized,” Jessie growled softly. “When I got here, a male grabbed me and asked if I was fucking crazy. I told him I just found out myself, so he ran the lab work and I’ve been dealing with that. So please, tell me how much more fucked up will this day get?”

“You know about the shooting?” Gabe asked from his spot.

“Yeah. All over the news, still. Whoever is after y’all doesn’t give a damn about the rules anymore. They just want you dead,” Jessie crossed her arms, and Riley tried to catch her eye. Jessie wouldn’t look at her. That irked Riley to no end.

“So, what have you been doing around here?” Brenton asked with care. He stood up slowly but didn’t go closer to the lioness, who stayed within a foot of the door.

“I heard about the hunters,” Jessie sighed. “And I heard the chatter and bitching from the felines near my area. I settled in Georgia, teaching at a gym. I haven’t spent any of your money… well I bought a house.”

“And, you came here?” Brenton asked softly. He seemed just as confused as Riley.

“I wanted to offer help. You need numbers, people. A strong front. I owe you all that, all right? I know this all started because my… my old Pride decided to help Cameron. I’m not stupid. So, I felt like I should come back and help.”

“Honorable,” Troy mumbled from his spot.

“I’m lost and confused,” Thomas grunted. “Can someone catch me up on why a pregnant lioness thinks this is partly her fault?”

“She helped kidnap me,” Riley offered him. “Someone was trying to bait my mother into revealing herself, a guy named Cameron Slater. They succeeded in kidnapping me. The guys found out how to save me with her help, since she turned on the kidnappers when they got too crazy for her and killed her Alpha. It’s a pretty fucked up story, really. Cameron’s son, Jonathan, is the person who attacked Andrew today.”

“Felines,” Sheriff growled. “Thomas, that’s really all there is to it. They are fucking felines, and we’ll get aneurysms trying to figure it out. Just… don’t look too far into it.”

“You know, Sheriff, I think you might be right,” Thomas mumbled.

“I know I am,” Sheriff huffed.

“Alright,” Brenton growled. “Jessie, you want to help?”

“Yes,” Jessie told him, squaring her shoulders.

“Welcome to the Pride,” he growled.

“What?” Both Riley and Jessie yelped.

“If you think I am letting a pregnant female wander around in this mess without taking some action about it, you have both lost your minds,” Brenton snarled. “Sit down, relax and just… do not fucking get hurt, please. Also, tell Gabe who the father is. We will track him down for you. He can join too.”

“Now, wait a fucking minute,” Jessie hissed. “I’m not joining your damn Pride. I’ll follow orders, you’ll pay me, but my Alpha is dead, and I’m not serving a second one.”

“Why not?” Brenton growled.

“Because you’ll never give me the position I deserve,” she snarled back.

Riley raised her eyebrows and looked between them before touching Brenton’s shoulder.

“She and Abigail can live together?” Riley offered softly. “Or maybe Finn?”

“You are right, I will not make you my second. Hell, I would not even put you in my inner circle. Can you blame me?” Brenton growled, ignoring Riley.

“No, but that also means I’m not joining your Pride. I’m not a Kingson shifter. I will never be a Kingson, and you’ll never convince me otherwise. You fuckers are a breed of your own,” Jessie hissed defiantly.

“Fine,” Brenton growled. Riley gave up on stopping this. “After all of this, you can disappear again.”

“Thanks,” Jessie snapped. “Not like I’m as useful as I planned to be anyways.”

“She has a point,” Riley mumbled. She saw Jessie hold a hand protectively over her stomach. She didn’t smell any fear from the lioness, but it made Riley sigh. “Who’s the father?”

“I don’t know,” Jessie mumbled softly. “I’ve only slept with humans recently and… well let’s say my bedroom has a revolving door at the moment.”

“Tell me about it,” Riley huffed, looking pointedly around the three of her men in the room, who all just grunted softly. “You must have a lot on your mind. Sit down, relax. We’re in limbo on Andrew and Zachary.”

“Have you all tried the SSTF, yet?” Jessie asked as James jumped up and freed a chair for her. It was a little sweet, really.

“Why would we?” Troy mumbled. “Those pricks won’t get involved.”

“Um, yeah they would now,” Jessie laughed with derision. “Brenton Kingson and Zachary Woods were shot at by snipers in broad daylight. I guarantee you, they are real fucking involved now.”

“But will they help us?” Riley asked. “And would it really help us?”

“Or just leave us appearing weaker than before?” Gabe added as Jessie shrugged.

“You would need to convince the hell out of them, that’s for sure. They would just slap the person on the wrist, since it’s an annoyance to them to need to clean this up, but I promise you they’ve figured it out. Or they will sooner rather than later.” Jessie sighed. “One of the guys from my old Pride was a prior member. He’d been kicked out after ten years for getting involved in the politics. It would be a risk for whoever you go-”

“Call my dad,” Riley told Gabe quickly. “Now.”

“No,” Brenton snarled. “We are not asking your dad for help.”

“Wait,” Jessie snorted. “Your father is in the SSTF?”

“Yeah,” Riley sighed. “He is.”

“And your mother is Isabella Gordon?” Jessie continued, looking shocked. “Is that what I’m hearing?”

“Yup,” Thomas mumbled from behind her. “That is what you are hearing.”

“Good Lord,” Jessie laughed. “That’s something else.”

“Drop it,” Brenton growled. “It is not important, and it does not change anything. Riley, we are not asking for his help.”

“Damn right, we are,” Riley hissed. “He’s an in we can use to find out who did this! Who’s still doing this!”

“No.” Brenton said with finality that made Riley narrow her eyes. “That’s final. Gabe, Troy, if you make that call, I will hurt you.”

“Oh wonderful,” Gabe mumbled, looking at Troy. Riley hissed at Brenton, pissed.

“Brenton,” Riley growled. “We can do this. We can convince him to help us!”

“And if we cannot?” Brenton asked softly. “Can you live with the knowledge your father would let you and the rest of us die?”

She stuttered after that. Brenton was serious. The room got a heavy silence as everyone processed why Brenton didn’t want to contact Keith Stern.

He could say no. He could turn the Pride down and let them get torn apart. And that was a final betrayal to Riley that Brenton wasn’t willing to risk.

“Okay,” she whispered. She wasn’t willing to risk it either. Her heart couldn’t even take the idea of him denying them. She sat back on the couch with Sheriff. “You’re right.”

“I am sorry,” Brenton said quietly.

“You have nothing to be sorry for,” she replied, suddenly weighed down. “Not you.”

“Well, damn,” Jessie whispered.

“I want you back in Wild Junction. Go to the mansion, I’ll have someone meet you there.” Brenton sighed at her. “You might as well have the best security money can offer while you’re here in Colorado.”

“Sure thing.” Jessie gave a fake salute. She stood back up and sighed. “Oh, one other thing… did you hear that Abel Cartona was murdered in his cell the other day?”

“No,” Brenton growled softly. Riley’s head shot up. He was dead? She wasn’t sure whether she should cheer or be mad that her plan for him to suffer in prison was ruined.

“Yeah, couple days ago, I think. Someone shanked his dumb ass, thought you ought to know.” Jessie shrugged. “Anything I should know about the mansion?”

“There’s a security room attached to the garage,” Gabe told her, standing up. “Let me get your number, and I’ll tell you how to turn it all on when you get there.”

“Thanks.”

“Jessie?” Brenton called as she was finishing exchanging numbers with Gabe. Riley looked between them. Jessie looked up from her phone with a frown. “Thank you.”

“For?”

“Saving Andrew,” Brenton whispered. “I am sorry you are getting dragged into this.”

“I chose to be in this,” Jessie huffed. “I didn’t realize the… other thing until today, so, it’s not like I was purposefully taking a risk to something other than myself.” She waved over her abdomen when she said it. “I’ll stick at the mansion in case you all need me to do anything. I might be a rogue, now, but consider this my official declaration of being an ally to the Kingson Pride. And… no need to thank me for Andrew. He fought hard. He’s a good male.”

“Rogue?” Riley asked quietly, looking to Brenton.

“A shifter, always a feline or wolf, who completely rejects the Pride- or Pack-based lifestyle,” Brenton whispered. “Tons of them, and they are normally harassed and thrown out of areas by the ruling Pride or Pack, since they can be seen as a threat.”

“Learning something new every day,” Riley mumbled.

“I’m going to go,” Jessie told them quietly.

“Go on,” Brenton sighed. Riley felt drained and realized that Jessie never even spoke to her.

“I’ll be right back,” Riley whispered to him and walked after Jessie. Once in the hallway, she grabbed the lioness’ arm and swung her around.

“Yes?” Jessie asked quietly, looking perturbed at Riley holding her arm.

“I never got the chance to say thank you,” Riley said quickly.

“Your Alpha just did,” Jessie groaned with a frown.

“For helping me in the cabin,” Riley whispered. She watched Jessie pale, and she took a step back from Riley.

“Don’t ever thank me for that,” Jessie hissed. “Ever.”

“Why not?” Riley hissed back. “You might have been a part of it, but you also saved my life.”

“I know. And I was hunted for months, myself, by my old Pride as they searched for everyone. I need that entire incident to die and stay dead, Riley,” Jessie growled softly. They were both trying to keep the staff from hearing them. A nurse passed and they both watched her walk away before turning back to each other. “Months. They had no idea what happened in the cabin that day. They knew I had been there, and we had all been there. No bodies were there, and no cabin was there when they finally investigated. If they had found me, I would be very dead.”

“Why?” Riley asked gently.

“Because, while I saved you and helped your Pride, I technically betrayed my own. Sure, Trevor killed our Alpha, but he was still…” Jessie closed up and looked away from Riley. “I would prefer if we never bring it up again.”

“Are they still looking for you?”

“Yes,” Jessie bit out. “They will always be looking for everyone. All those bodies aren’t something a Pride can just forget. Sure, they have a new Alpha, and they continued on with business, but they won’t rest until they have answers.”

“Stay in Wild Junction,” Riley offered, carefully. Jessie was obviously easy to spook, to chase off. “It’s not just about you anymore.”

“What do you…” Jessie looked confused, and Riley watched realization dawn on her. “I can’t run from them if they catch up to me and I have a kid.”

“No,” Riley whispered. “You can’t.”

“Fuck,” Jessie looked even paler than before. “I want to keep it.”

“Then keep it… and live in Wild Junction,” Riley said plainly. “I know, we have a lot of problems, our little town, but… we have Sheriff, and Thomas with his Pack, and Finn, a fox we met in the compound… Abigail is a doe who’s staying in town for a little while…”

“Look at y’all, just building a regular old shifter community,” Jessie snorted but she looked thoughtful. Riley had some hope.

“Think about it while you stay on the Estate,” Riley sighed with shrug. “And your kiddo can grow up with a ton of other shifters.”

“I don’t know what its form will be, being a half-breed. Definitely feline, but it would be nice to have another tiger or leopard and shit around, just in case it’s not a lion,” Jessie mumbled, still thoughtful. She looked back to Riley with a nod. “I’ll think about it.”

“Good.” Riley nodded. “Have a ride back?”

“Yeah, I have my own car,” Jessie said with a weak smile. “I’ll give your boy, Gabe, a call when I get there.”

“Be safe,” Riley murmured as Jessie began to walk away.

“You, too.”

Riley didn’t go back to the room immediately. She leaned on the wall and wondered how they all ended up here. Felines… Plots thick for everyone around them, dragging entire communities down with schemes and dangerous plots. It was all madness.

It didn’t have to be. That’s what Riley had a real problem with. Other shifters were just fine. Packs fought over land and resources, that made sense. What did felines fight over? Money? Reputation? Respect? Just for fun?

None of it made sense to her. She could understand the animals in them. She could understand Brenton’s feral rage, the Pride dynamics, the new concept of rogues, but not why felines felt the need to try and murder children. Or fight over wealth when it wasn’t particularly hard for them to get more of it. Petty things like screwing each other’s wives became deadly plots where people, innocent people, died.

“What is this fucking life?” She mumbled to herself. Jessie was running from people she once trusted because she decided to save Riley, who had been innocent, herself. What the hell was that?

She didn’t know how long she had stood there, propped against the wall, when Troy walked out to her.

“You okay?” Troy inquired softly, leaning his shoulder onto her wall. He looked down with concern, and she sighed.

“Why are felines like this?” She asked, crossing her arms. She kept her voice low and her eyes on the lookout for passing humans. “Why this? Why can’t we be more like the wolves or, even better, the bears?”

“That’s complicated,” Troy whispered with a frown. She glanced at him and saw he looked thoughtful and also… a little worried. “There’s a few reasons, I think.”

“What are they?”

“We’re cunning,” Troy groaned. “You know it. You are cunning, even if it’s not your go-to thing. You know how to plan and be patient to get what you want. You know what buttons to push to get the response you’re looking for. We, as a species, are cunning. We are patient predators, us felines.”

“Okay.” Riley bit her bottom lip with a nod. “And?”

“I need you to imagine something for me, for this next part,” Troy told her cautiously. “Imagine a court. Not a courtroom but… a medieval court. A King or Queen, and the social climbers that dance around them.”

“Not a hard visual,” Riley snorted. “Where are you going with this?”

“The Kingson family name wasn’t always their name.” Troy leaned down closer to her and whispered in her ear. “Felines are good at political intrigue. We dance the shifting politics of court. The only thing that’s changed is our titles.”

“Andrew said that the Kingson family took the king in their name too seriously,” Riley mumbled. “Why?”

“Because they used to be kings,” Troy continued to whisper. “Pretty Girl, we felines are like this because we used to do it in ballrooms instead of boardrooms. Felines, we’ve always been smart enough to amass wealth and power.” He took a deep breath then, and Riley waited, her eyes slowly going wide. “Modern times meant modern changes. We just changed the arena, but since humanity has been able to count wealth, felines have fought over it. We’ve bickered and played games. And the Kingson family is the last direct line to what once was. You think this is bad? Six-hundred years ago, we would have been taken by a hired mercenary band, and no one would have blinked an eye. You would have never met us because we would have all been dead as children.”

“But, why?” Riley hissed.

“Because they can,” Troy growled softly. “Because they have the intelligence, and they know players. Because petty squabbles like sleeping with each other’s wives ruined families back then. Because illegitimate children weren’t just a skeleton in the closet, they ruined a lineage. A mistress could kill the wife because the man held the power to make one of them the most powerful woman on the earth. Riley. I hate it. Gabe hates it. We all fucking hate it. We weren’t raised to play the game—we were forced to survive them younger than most others, but this is what we are.”

“I’ll never participate,” Riley snarled.

“Pretty Girl… you already have,” Troy said with a broken crack to his voice. “You jumped off that ledge. For whatever reason, and yours was a fucking good one, you jumped. You’re in this now. People see you as a player, like they do any of us.”

Riley opened and closed her mouth. She turned slowly to look at Troy again, and she knew she probably looked shocked.

“I. Am. Not. My. Mother.” She bit out slowly.

“I never said you were,” Troy growled. “Damn it, you need to learn the distinction. We’re all players in a sick game that we need to survive, and it sucks. But, it’s not like you picked the fight. You aren’t petty like them. You aren’t her. I think you worry about becoming her because it might feel so easy to slip that far, but you are too good for that. Are you a touch violent and a whole lot pissed off? Yeah. But you aren’t cold or unfeeling.”

“There are two types of players,” Brenton’s voice broke into the conversation. “Those who get the thrill of the game, who play it to the hilt for the sheer rush… and those who play to win the game, no matter the cost. Your mother is one of the first. She does not care. It is a wild game to her, to see how far she can push our straining system until it breaks. You are the second. Most people in the second group play for one reason, and that is survival or love, or some other emotional thing. The difference is the heart. You have one, your mother does not.”

“What he said,” Troy sighed. “The Pride, we all play for the same thing. To win and live another day. We hold ourselves to some rules: we’ve never hurt children, and we’ve never left orphans behind.”

“So…” Riley gave a long sigh. “This is just what we are.”

“Did it feel good to get Abel?” Brenton asked carefully.

“Yes,” Riley said, her voice strong. It damn-well had.

“Then you have your answer,” Brenton whispered. “Yes, this is just what we are. But it does not mean it is only what we are.”

“Well, obviously,” Riley snorted. “Why did you come out?”

“I am getting pissed off with no news on either of the guys. I am about to go harass the nurses station.” With that, he walked away. Riley pushed Troy gently.

“Go stop him,” she hissed. “Before he gets us all thrown out.”

“We won’t get thrown out,” Troy chuckled. “Pretty Girl, you missed something important that I just told you.”

“What’s that?” Riley scrunched her nose at him.

“Kingson,” Troy laughed. “And no one says no to the King, Pretty Girl.”

She stuttered. She thought that particular point had been an exaggeration, not a statement of fact.

“You’ll need to ask Brenton for the specifics on his family history, but yes… when we felines played in ballrooms, it was his family who stood over everyone and ruled. At least in Europe and most of North America, anyway. I wouldn’t say it was a global thing. Though, once globalization started to happen, the more business-orientated Kingsons spread their influence across the globe.” Troy chuckled.

“Madness,” Riley mumbled. “All of this is madness.”

“I know,” Troy said, pulling her close to kiss her forehead. “I know.”

“And all of you were basically groomed to be his Pride,” Riley pointed out, wondering if it were really that simple.

“Yes and no…” Troy made a face as he thought about it. “It was definitely our parents’ intentions, and Geoffrey’s, but… it didn’t go the way they planned. If they had done it their way, if they hadn’t been vulnerable, people like Gabe and I would have been used against Brenton at every turn, so our father could gain more wealth. We wouldn’t be friends and family. Andrew wouldn’t be in the group at all. Zachary… his situation was more complicated because his parents didn’t want him at all. His own strength made him an asset, even as a child, to our predecessors.”

“Oh, the webs we weave,” Riley whispered.

“This is a game that was started decades before any of us were even born.” Troy nodded. “Now we just need to survive it.”

“When does it end? How does it end?” Riley asked softly.

“It doesn’t,” Troy told her sadly. “It just doesn’t.”

Riley swallowed a lump in her throat. That didn’t bode well for them.

“Let’s get back inside before Brenton gets what he wants,” Troy groaned, opening the door for her. She stepped inside just as they heard Brenton growl. Troy gently pushed her all the way in the room and closed the door behind them. “Let’s just pretend we didn’t hear that…”

“Is everything alright out there?” Sheriff asked, standing up.

“Yeah!” Riley stammered. “Complet-”

“It has been ten hours, you fuckers, I want to know what the fuck is happening!” Brenton roared, making things shake a little.

“Dear God,” Thomas sighed, but Riley saw he had a small smile. He thought Brenton was amusing, and she smacked him in the stomach. “What was that for?”

“Don’t find this funny,” she snapped. “It’s not.”

“I’m sorry. He reminds me of myself, and I’m glad to see y’all have an Alpha willing to tear down a hospital for you.” Thomas groaned, rubbing his stomach. “Please don’t do that again. I am an Alpha, remember?”

“Not mine,” she taunted and stuck her tongue out at him. Troy threw a hand over her mouth while Gabe growled softly.

“That belongs to us,” Troy whispered in her ear softly. Sheriff began to cough. “Not the wolves.” He pulled her all the way back to the couch in that position, his arm wrapped around her from behind to cover her mouth. “Brenton will have my balls if he thinks I’m letting you go around with your tongue out.”

She licked his hand, because she could, and he pulled it away. Then he wiped it on her cheek.

“Finally!” Brenton snarled outside the door. He barged back in, looking like he was about to eat someone. “They will have word for us in fifteen minutes.”

“Thank god,” Riley sighed. “Did they give you any information in the meantime?”

“Both surgeries had a couple complications, but nothing major, other than their initial injuries,” Brenton sighed, calming down again. She’d never seen him get riled up and need to come back down so much. “They were waiting for both of the guys to be out of the danger zone and become more stable. Andrew lost a lot of blood because of the trip it took to get here. Zachary had a lung collapse. We will know more when they come in.”

Riley’s heart clenched. A lung… major blood loss… two of her guys had come so close to dying that it made tears well in her eyes, and the playfulness she had with Troy disappeared… again. Another tiny bright spot on the darkest day of her life.

“Do they know how many of us there are?” Gabe asked, looking around at the motley crew of them. Riley wondered the same thing, and they had been there long enough for the shift to change.

“They are sending in two shifter doctors. They will figure it out before they even open the door.” Riley was happy to hear the mild, casual tone come back to Brenton. She didn’t know if he was actually calming down or just bottling it up, but he was at least not terrifying the staff.

“So…” Troy sighed. “We wait.”

“We keep waiting… Gabe, have you gotten anything?”

“No, Brenton,” Gabe conceded softly. “Nothing. I’m sorry.”

“It is fine,” Brenton growled softly. “It is fine, my man.” He patted Gabe’s shoulder as he walked by. “Anything else interesting happen?”

“I told Riley about your family,” Troy mumbled. Riley watched Brenton slow his walk and begin to tread carefully.

“Why would you do that?” Brenton asked, crossing his arms.

“She asked why felines play games like this. The answer to that question is-”

“Complicated,” Brenton finished, with a groan, and he looked up to the ceiling as he ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah… So, about 5 generations ago, my family let the monarchy die and invested everything from it into a more modern power. Monarchies were dying all over the world, slowly but surely. They got out before people could take them out. Then they realized they could remain on top with the new system and way of doing things. They didn’t need to constantly rule from a figurative and literal throne, but they could rule in spirit from a mountain of wealth and allies.”

“Felines,” James sighed. “Always got to be doing something.”

“Yup,” Thomas huffed. Brenton turned to him slowly. “Now, you are missing some details for her.”

“Like?” Brenton asked, a frown causing wrinkles in his forehead, wrinkles Riley had never noticed before. Were they new because of everything going on?

“There’s still a small group who thinks you should be completely wiped out. Or the other small group that wants a real feline ruler again.” Thomas shrugged. “Either of those could be the problem.”

“I ignore them. They are so few, on either side, that they do not have the resources to make a play for it.” Brenton sighed. “But you are right. Those two tiny little factions do exist.”

“I don’t like any of this,” Riley mumbled, looking at Troy, who shrugged in the same way Thomas had. A ‘this is our world’ kind of shrug, and there wasn’t anything she or anyone could really do about it.

A knock at the door finally drew their attention, and Riley held her breath. The doctors were here.

“Alpha Kingson?” One called in and Riley’s nostrils flared at the scent. It was the doctor who treated her ages ago.

“Come in,” Brenton called, and the entire group watched them walk in, tentative and unsure.

“I wasn’t expecting so many people here.” Doctor Serrano tried for enthusiasm, but it fell flat. Brenton made a derisive noise, and that made the doctor sigh. She hadn’t seen the jaguar in a very long time, and their last encounter had been him asking if her Pride hurt her. How things had changed.

“What’s the news, Serrano? Tanaka?” Brenton looked between them. Tanaka was looking at Sheriff, nodding slowly.

“Your leg seems perfectly fine now,” Tanaka told Sheriff, who nodded.

“Thanks, Doc,” Sheriff grunted. “Now tell us how the boys are.”

“Ah, Mr. Hicks was my patient. He needed a couple of transfusions. Luckily, we have several mountain lions who fit the bill and offered their help. His most severe injury, however, is the head wound. It appears he was hit with something with great force. He will definitely have a concussion but, he lucked out with no hemorrhaging in his brain. He might have some memory problems, but we need him to wake up, first, to know for sure.” Tanaka was completely calm and professional. Riley almost wanted to claw his eyes out. He showed absolutely no emotion. “He’s stable, though, and doesn’t need any assistance breathing, so we can bring him in here while he recovers. We’re just waiting for anesthesia to run its course and keeping him for a few more hours of constant supervision in case we misjudged the head injury. Right now, we believe it should only be some hairline fracturing around his forehead, nose, and left orbital socket.”

“Good,” Brenton sighed. “Thank God.”

“So… he should be okay?” Riley asked, biting her bottom lip. “Andrew will make it through this?”

“The odds are in his favor on this, pending anything unexpected,” Tanaka told her, finally cracking a serene smile. She sniffed and realized this patient man was a… bear? A sun bear, she finally pinpointed. The image of his secondary form was firm in her mind after a moment.

“And Zachary?” Troy directed at Serrano.

“Collapsed lung, a spinal injury which shouldn’t lead to any paralysis, and a number of internal injuries we had to clean up. One of the bullets passed through, but the other bounced around and caused mayhem. We’ve stopped all the bleeding for now, but there’s a still a possibility he will have problems. I recommend absolute care with him in terms of his back. A simple strain on it could further damage the fractured vertebrae and lead to serious issues.” Serrano didn’t have the same calm as Tanaka. He was uncomfortable in the crowded room, looking around at all of them. “Are we in danger for helping you, Brenton?”

“I don’t know, but this is a hospital. So, unless you’re deciding to drag it into the fight by choosing sides… I don’t think you should worry,” Brenton growled softly.

“Of course,” Doctor Serrano coughed. “I can also have Mr. Woods down here in a few hours, after seeing how he comes out of surgery and making sure there isn’t some bleeding we might have missed. Thank you all for being patient. We’re doing our best.”

Riley snorted. None of them were truly all that patient, but it wasn’t like they could barge into the surgery ward and do it themselves either.

“Ms. Stern, it’s a pleasure to see you again.” Doctor Serrano took notice of her and she nodded, throwing a small wave. “I trust you’ve been in good health?”

“As good as can be,” she mumbled. “I’m talking to a therapist, now.”

“I can imagine,” Doctor Serrano muttered, seeming none too surprised by that. “I hope it’s going well.”

“Definitely,” Riley whispered, looking at the floor. She wasn’t really seeing Abigail as a therapist, but the friendship with the therapist… well, therapy still seemed to happen.

“After they are moved in here, how long before we can expect them to be awake?” Brenton asked quickly before either doctor could dismiss themselves.

“Zachary, anytime in the next… four to ten hours? Maybe earlier. Whenever he decides to wake up, really. He’s just asleep at this point.” Doctor Serrano spread his hands with a small shrug.

“Andrew might not wake up,” Tanaka whispered, “because of the head injury but we’re hopeful he’ll be up in the next twenty-four hours.”

“Andrew might not wake up?” Gabe mumbled, looking from the doctor to her and finally to Brenton. Riley saw how pale her Alpha was. She remembered that he and Andrew had known each other since they were practically babies.

“Keep us posted,” Brenton choked out, looking dazed by Tanaka’s admission to Andrew’s health. “Keep… please, keep us posted.”

“We will, Alpha Kingson,” Doctor Tanaka said softly.

And with that, the doctors left, and Riley watched her Alpha fall to his knees and cover his face. She stood and walked slowly to him and touched his shoulder gently. He responded by pulling her close and holding, his face on her stomach.

“Brenton,” she whispered, her own words too thick with pain. “Brenton, we’ll make it. He’ll make it.”

He didn’t say anything, just held her. They stayed that way for a long time, until Troy came over and was able to convince him to let her go. Brenton dropped himself onto the couch, and so did every Pride member in the room. It was a tight fit, but Riley was thankful for the bodies.

As the day ticked over into the next, they were still unsure if they would be whole once it was all said and done.