“Dani?” A muffled voice comes from the floorboards above me. It’s not Jake though. It sounds like Walter.

“Walter? Is that you?” I call, tapping on the wood gently.

“Yeah, Jake is just talking to Monique. Everything is all good out here now. I just wanted to make sure your heat had settled before I let you out.”

Oh. “Yeah, it’s passed now,” I tell him, through the split in the floor. I’m glad I can finally get out. I have no idea how long I was in there but it felt like forever. My back and ass hurt from being in this position so long.

I hear the hinges of the door then the bright light penetrates the darkness making me cover my eyes. Hands reach down, lifting me up from the under arms and bringing me into the room. I blink furiously, my eyes adjusting to the light in the room. Walter sees my struggle and hurries to the switch dialling the lights back.

“Thanks,” I sigh, removing my hand from my eyes. “It was really hard to adjust after being in there so long. How long was I in there?” I ask, collapsing on the small bed in the room. I look up at the pale-yellow paint on the roof and let my mind stare at a small stain.

“You were in there for just over three hours. Your heat is getting stronger according to the others. They’re just going for a quick run to burn off some energy, then they’ll be back,” he says, sensing my discomfort being away from them.

“So, why did you guys come here? I thought you’d be safe with Tim. Laura should be safe in her condition,” I tell him, a note of anger in my voice.

He nods, “I know but she wanted to be here for you. Besides, if Tim can’t protect her, then he shouldn’t be her mate. That’s just how our society works,” he says simply.

I nod absentmindedly, staring up at the ceiling. The door bursts open and their scents reach my nose before I see them. My mates are back from their run. I sit up, prepared for whatever they have to say. I’m sure at least one of them is angry. Every time I get upset, my heat gets triggered. It can’t be a coincidence.

Sure enough, Cam comes into the room, anger on his face. I sigh, preparing for whatever he has to say. Monique, Tim and Walter follow in after each of my mates making the room a lot more cramped. Pete, Jonnie and Mitchell join me on the bed, offering each a small kiss on the cheek before clambering behind me.

Cam watches me, his green eyes sparking as they joke around with each other, making me smile. If I didn’t know better, I’d say he was jealous.

Laura strides forward until she’s directly in front of me, heaving me up from the bed with surprising strength considering her condition, and wraps me in a hug so tight. “Are you ok? Have the boys been treating you good? I’ll kick their asses if they haven’t,” she grins at me, pulling back and holding onto my shoulders. Her face is glowing and she already has a beautiful little bump.

“I’m fine. How are you? And how’s the baby? I was so excited to find out you’re pregnant and sorry that I inadvertently set a heat cycle off in the packs,” I apologize, my head hanging down in shame.

She places a finger under my chin, making me look up at her, “Don’t you ever apologize. It’s not your fault. You are so new to this world and there is so much you don’t know. James told us you had no idea what a heat was until it triggered, which wasn’t fair on you. You have the world on your shoulders and you’re only seventeen. You should have another year at least until a heat was triggered but I guess your wolf thought you were ready.”

Ha! If only she knew just how not ready I was.

“Now, there is another reason we’re here, which we already explained to your mates. Monique and Walter have suggested you form the mate bond now that you have been to each pack. The Elders have agreed now that Cam is officially the Alpha of his father’s pack. This way we can wipe out any and all possibility of Luke trying to claim us again,” she explains, wariness crossing her face as I get angrier.

I’m not angry with Laura. I could never be. It’s just this is absurd. Like she said, I’m seventeen. Why do we have to bond now? Shouldn’t it wait until after the coronation?

I look to each of my mates, trying to gauge their reactions but they all are keeping their faces carefully blank. I step away from Laura, over to the window and look out at the forest as each of the pack members go about their business. What I wouldn’t give to just be a nobody. Not the Alpha Queen to an Alpha Pair. Or would that be Alpha Group with all my mates? Ugh, who even knows?

I face the group, knowing I need to know where everyone else stands before making any decision. “Can I please have some time with my mates? This decision affects us all and I need to know how they each feel.”

Laura and Tim both offer me small smiles, leaving the room without a word. Monique makes her way to me, a strange look on her face, “Please think about this carefully before dismissing the idea completely,” she warns before turning on her heel and leaving.

Walter lingers at the door, obviously wanting to say something too but he just offers a warm smile and leaves. Before the door closes completely I see James, Rick and Jake all trying to peek in the room, only to be herded away by Tim. Good. I want privacy for this, not eavesdroppers.

Two minutes pass with me just staring at them. Nate’s watching me, his blue eyes curious. Pete is fiddling with his hands, nervous energy emanating from him. Jonnie is calm as ever, while Mitchell just looks blank, no emotion whatsoever on his face. Jason looks calm as usual, though nothing ever really bothers him.

Then you have Cam. He looks calm enough but I can feel anger radiating off him in waves. I take a deep breath ready to find out what the hell is bothering him so much but he beats me to it. “Why do you always run?” he blurts out, his hands by his side clenched into fists.

“What?” I ask, my anger fading away in the confusion. I glance over at Nate and Pete to see them just as confused as I am, while Jason refuses to meet my eyes.

He shakes his head, his blue eyes changing to amber as he gets more aggravated. “Every time your heat is triggered, you run away or you make us leave! Why?! Are none of us good enough for you?! Or is it that you don’t want any of us and you’re just playing along with everything until you can pile on the Alpha Pair responsibility to Tim and Laura? Huh? Well?”

I look at the others, trying to see if they feel the same way only for Cam to grab me by the arms and swing me around. “Don’t look at them! I’m talking to you! Now answer me!” he growls into my face, amber consuming his eyes.

I rip out of his arms, my own wolf getting furious. “How dare you grab me like that! If you want me to answer you, then you treat me with respect! I’m not some plaything you can beat around until you get your way!”

His eyes fade back to blue with my words and he has the grace to look ashamed but not good enough. No one treats me like that and gets away with it! Not even my mates! He wants an answer, so I’ll give him one. “You asked about Tim and Laura and my answer is yes, I still want them in charge. Not because I don’t want to be the Alpha Queen, but because I feel like I barely know anything about life as a wolf. How the hell am I supposed to lead the packs in one united front when I can’t even tell you everything about the packs. We visited each pack as part of the trials and while I know you all a little better, I still feel like I would fail everyone,” I admit, baring my darkest fears.

“You are all so in tune with each pack and have your own problems to handle so it wouldn’t be fair to take you as mates when you have other things that are more important.”

I take deep breaths trying to gain control but I feel like I’m unravelling. Nate steps away from the bed and at first, I think he’s going to say something comforting until I see his eyes, flinting with flecks of amber. “You’re so selfish,” he whispers into the quiet room.

My heart stops, and I feel frozen to the spot as he stands in front of me, an anger I’ve never seen, surfacing. “You want my parents to be Alpha Pair because you can’t handle it. We are your mates and each of us would die for you. We’d help you lead but you won’t even give us the chance. You’re more concerned with getting as far away from us as you can. If you make my parents lead the pack as Alpha Pair, then I withdraw my claim as your mate. I don’t want to be with someone who gives up so easy,” he scoffs, leaving the room and slamming the door behind him.

Jonnie and Pete run off after him, leaving me with Mitchell, Cam and Jason. I close my eyes holding back the tears as my heart breaks.

“He didn’t mean it, you know that right? Tensions are just high and we’re all holding on by a thread. He’ll come back later and apologize then everything will be all better again, you’ll see,” Mitch says, wrapping me in his arms.

I hold still, shutting myself off. “Everything won’t be ok. You think he didn’t mean it but I felt it through the link. He meant every word. I think I need to take a walk and think through some things.” Cam opens his mouth to say something but I just shake my head. “I’m not in the mood. I’ll take James, Jake or Rick with me but right now, I need some space from you guys.”

I walk in a haze, my mind filled with images of being alone, no mates by my side as I rule a society of wolves that hate me. Maybe I was better off not coming to the pack. Dad would still be alive if we had stayed hidden away. We could have been living in blissful ignorance while Luke led the pack like he was before. No one would be dead. My mates wouldn’t hate me. And I wouldn’t be dealing with this stupid heat!

I run down the stairs, not looking where I’m going, only hoping to get as far away from everyone as I can. My wolf is raging inside, desperate to be free and release her pain. I run straight into James as he steps in front of the door, blocking my way. “Move,” I growl, my wolf close to the edge of insanity.

“Ok, just let me come with you. Even with Cam as Alpha, I wouldn’t trust any of this pack as far as I could throw them. Luke has brainwashed most of them. I just have this feeling I need to be with you,” he pleads, a look so sincere that I nod. He moves aside, following me out of the house and past the onlooking wolves. They all stare at us as we go by, most of them steering clear of me.

We get into the woods and I waste no time stripping down to my underwear and shifting. My wolf lets out a mournful howl, before taking off into the dark forest, James hot on my heels.

The rush of running through the forest is just what I needed. James and I play like two young wolves, chasing a few rabbits through the underbrush. We herd a group of deer through a large paddock and over a small hill, coming across a beautiful open field filled with wild daisies. It’s breathtaking. The sun shines off the flowers as it hits its peak at midday. My wolf lies down basking in the warmth. You can see the surrounding hills and valleys across the area, and the smattering of the first snow that fell through the night.

I shift back, using the long grass to hide my nudity. James does the same and we sit among the grass watching the breeze sway the grass, sending a few of the dying daisies up in the air.

James breaks the silence, “You ready to talk about it?” he asks facing me, his eyes sympathetic.

“Ugh, not really but I suppose I should. I just don’t get it. Should I just leave and let them do what they want with the pack? I don’t know what I’m doing yet they all expect me to know straight away!” I vent angrily. “The information is still slowly settling in my mind. I get bursts of clarity about what I should do but most of the time it’s still gibberish.”

I stare out at the field, trying to distract myself with the beauty of the wild flowers among the wild grass but even then, it’s barely keeping my attention. All these questions are going through my mind, giving me a migraine.

James is silently watching me a few feet away. He joins my side, looking out at the flowers as he speaks, “Dani, they love you. Each of them want to protect you and it kills them knowing that you don’t need it. All the males in these packs grow up knowing that when their mate comes along, they will provide for her, support her and protect her against any and all threats. It’s been twenty years since your mother left and no-one thought they would have another Alpha Queen which is why they weren’t raised to expect you. A girl, sorry woman,” he corrects when I throw him an angry glare. “Anyway, they didn’t expect a woman like you to come into their lives and love each of them equally. You show it every day in the little ways you play with Pete. The conversation you have with Jason. The bond between you and Cam. Nate is the one you go to when you are in pain. Jonnie is the one you go to when you want to talk with someone about something you feel is insignificant and Mitchell is the peacemaker. He always calms the rest of you down when you all want to bite each other’s heads off. His presence alone, can stop many arguments before they even start.”

I nod, a lot of what he’s saying is making a lot of sense. I’d never really stopped to think about what each of them does for our relationship. “Ok, then what does that make me? What’s my role? And what about Eli?” I ask facing him, curiosity getting the better of me. None of my mates were happy when I told them Eli and I had the same connection. I can’t seem to get him out of my mind. Vivienne’s promise that I’d meet him again, always at the forefront.

“That’s easy. You make them whole. You already saw each of them is missing something from their life, and you fill that, making your unit complete. That will inevitably be what makes you the strongest Alpha Queen. You have a harem of men to help you lead your society into the future, whether you choose to revert back to the original powers, become human or continue as wolves. That’s something only you can decide for us,” he tells me sombrely. “And as for Eli? That’s your choice. If you feel the connection with him, then you have to talk to your other mates to make sure you could work as a cohesive unit with him on board. You also need to make it clear to Eli that he would have to share you.”

We sit in silence for a while longer until I finally get the courage to go back and face my mates. I need them to understand that they are everything to me. I can’t lose them over something so petty. I need to tell Nate that I won’t let his parents take up the role of Alpha Pair. If they will have me, I want to be Alpha Queen with my mates by my side. I also have to talk to them about Eli and see where they stand.

“Alright, I made my decision. Let’s head back so I can tell the pack and my mates I’m their new Alpha Queen,” I announce getting to my feet. A wave of pride goes through my wolf and for once, I feel like we’re one entity. James smiles full of pride, “That’s my girl. If your father was here, he would be so proud of you, stepping up and taking on your responsibility. Let’s go back so you can make up with those mates of yours,” he winks before shifting back into his wolf. The amber eyes on his wolf’s face, sparkling with happiness.

I smile, shifting into my wolf, pouncing onto James’s back and making us topple over, squashing the grass and wildflowers around us. He springs up, yipping at me and bolting off through the forest. I give chase, urging my wolf to go faster. We fly through the forest going faster than ever before. I see a sloped rock and make a run, leaping from the top and landing on James who was hiding on the other side.

He gets to his feet, huffing indignantly at being surprised by me. He prances off, tail in the air when a wolf flies out of nowhere tackling him. My wolf goes on the offensive, jumping over to rip the wolf off James. We both go into an offensive position, our backs against each other as twenty wolves seep from between the trees towards us, led by none other than Adam. I growl, baring my teeth threateningly. James lets loose a howl so loud, it echoes among the forest. If my mates didn’t hear that then we’re doomed.