Bethi glared at me as I started walking back to the apartment.  It didn’t last long.  Before we turned the first corner, she gave up and rested her head on my shoulder.  Her anger remained, though, in her scent and the stiffness of her shoulders.

“It was just a name,” I said.

She didn’t respond, but some of the tension eased.  When I reached the apartment, I set her on her feet just inside the door and cupped her face.

“There’s no room for anyone else in my heart.  Only you.”

“Then why?”  Her gaze pleaded with me, and I knew she was asking why I wouldn’t allow her to Claim me.

“Because I promised I would protect you.  Even from myself.”

Her eyes drifted closed for a long blink, and I gently traced my fingertip over her dark eyebrows.

“You need rest,” I said, wrapping an arm around her to guide her down the hall.

Fully dressed, she curled up on the mattress.  I pulled off my shirt and lay next to her, determined to help her get some true rest.

As soon as I was on my back, she moved closer. She didn’t snuggle me as tightly as before—likely due to her cut—but her cheek rested in its usual place on my bare chest.  I gently smoothed my hand up and down Bethi’s arm that lay over my waist. A moment later, she did that pre-sleep leg twitch that most people did.  Normal.  I smiled slightly and kept touching her. She exhaled slowly and was out.

Left with my own thoughts, I stared up at the ceiling in the quiet room and let recent events settle in my mind.

Urbat?  Balancing three races?  Six women with special powers?  I sighed.

I’d already accepted that Bethi knew things because of her dreams.  But hearing that Michelle and Gabby also had abilities made my head hurt.  What were the odds?  And why six of them?  And what were they supposed to do to keep the balance, exactly?  They were human.  Or mostly human.  Look at what had happened to Bethi already.  They weren’t built to fight against us.  Even humans had weapons that made them a very real threat.  I didn’t want Bethi to be anything but special to me.  I was tired of her being in danger.  But, from the way she was talking, the danger was only beginning.

I pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

“What did we get ourselves into?” I said softly.

A mess, that’s what.  It was weird to think there were more of us out there.  Not us.  Close to us.  Close enough that I hadn’t known there was a difference.  If they were so close, why were they attacking Bethi?  Why didn’t they value females like we did?  None of it made sense.

How was it possible to have another version of werewolves running around without us even knowing it?  Elder Joshua was one.  How had the other Elders not known?

Suspicions began to worm their way in.  Joshua had been with Thomas’s pack a long time and had trained with the Elders for just as long.  Why hadn’t there been any attacks until now?  And why hadn’t the Elders noticed their communication problems before now?  If Joshua was one of those Urbat wolves, why was everything just coming out now?

Winifred interrupted my thoughts.

We need to speak to you.

It’ll need to wait, I sent back.  Bethi can’t be left alone when she’s sleeping, and she needs rest.

I pressed my lips to Bethi’s head and waited for more, but nothing came.  Relieved, I sighed and continued staring up at the ceiling.  I hated all of the doubt that filled me.  Could we trust the Elders?  Obviously not Joshua, but the rest?

Someone knocked on the outer door.  I ignored it, but the apartment door opened anyway.

“Luke?”

I recognized Grey’s voice and sighed.

“What?” I answered.

His steps moved to just outside our door.  He didn’t look into the room but remained hidden in the hallway.

“I’m here to keep an eye on Bethi for you, so you can talk to Winifred and Sam.”

“Well, that’s sweet of Winifred to send a sitter, but I think I’ll decline.”

“Luke, we need to understand what’s happening.  Your silence might be endangering the lives of everyone here.  Might.  We don’t know though because you’re not talking.  No one is.  We don’t want to force you, but we will if we have to.”

That pissed me off on several levels. The Elders were threatening to force their control without even knowing if there was a threat.  That wasn’t their purpose.  It was a prick move a pack leader would pull.  And, leaving to listen to their questions, which I wouldn’t answer, wouldn’t help Bethi rest.  But if I didn’t leave, they would command me to share what I knew, and I didn’t want that.  Bethi needed to be the one to talk to them.  It was her secret to share.

Knowing I didn’t have much choice but to leave, I eased myself out from under her.

“She doesn’t sleep well without me,” I said, reaching for my shirt.  “She’ll twitch, cry, and likely scream.  Don’t try to wake her.”  Bethi was far too good at fighting and wasn’t always lucid coming out of a dream.  I didn’t want her adding to the questions they likely had.

I pulled on my shirt as I passed him in the hallway.  He quietly followed me to the living room and watched me go through Bethi’s things until I found two pain pills.  Then, I went to the kitchen for a glass of water.

“Why doesn’t she want the rest to tell us?” Grey asked, following back to the bedroom.

“Because trusting is hard for people who’ve been betrayed.  And I think Gabby and Michelle understand that.”

I set the pills and the water on the night stand.  Bethi was still sleeping peacefully, but I knew it wouldn’t last long.  Turning to Grey, I gestured to the pills.

“I hope she doesn’t wake up, but if she does, can you make sure she takes them?”

“What are they?”

“Something for the pain.”  He nodded and followed me out of the room again.  “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

I left the apartment and, at the bottom of the stairs, found Emmitt pacing.

“Tell them what you know,” he said.

“Yes, pack leader.  Wait.  That’s right.  You can’t command me.”

Emmitt’s eyes narrowed.  I turned my back on him and walked toward the sound-proofed room.  His steps echoed mine.

“I might not be able to command you, but they can.”

I snorted.  “They won’t.”

“What makes you so sure?”

“Unlike pack leaders, Elders aren’t there for the power trip.”  Well, they weren’t supposed to be.  We’d see if that was still true by the time I walked out of the soundproofed room.

Emmitt growled, but I knew he wouldn’t do anything more.  He was too disciplined.  Too much of a rule follower.

“Neither are pack leaders.  Most of us never wanted to lead.  It’s something that falls on us because no one else wants to step up.”

“Is this where I’m supposed to feel pity for you?”

I could feel Emmitt’s anger as he silently followed me to the meeting room.  When I knocked, the door immediately opened.  Gabby, Clay, Sam, Winifred, Michelle, Jim, and Grey’s protégé Carlos waited within.

It didn’t matter how many people they had inside.  The outcome of the conversation wouldn’t change.

“Winifred, you saw how she sleeps,” I said walking in.  “Check with Grey.  By now she’s crying and not getting the rest she needs.  Why are your questions more important than her well-being?”

“She’s crying?” Michelle said, looking concerned.

“In her sleep,” Winifred said.  “She’s restless.”

Michelle and Gabby shared a look.  Bethi had told them what she experienced in her dreams, so they had a good idea why she’d be crying.

“Not always,” I said.  “When I’m with her, which I’m not, she sleeps peacefully.”

“Luke, please sit,” Winifred said, gesturing to the open chair.  Her tone didn’t allow for a no.

Annoyed, I stepped inside.  Emmitt closed the door behind us and crossed his arms like he was some sort of guard.

“Yet another mockery of the freedom of choice we have,” Gabby said quietly.  The flush in Gabby’s face matched her pink shirt.

Once I sat, Winifred glanced at Sam, who watched Gabby.

“I know I’ve let you down,” Sam said.  “But keeping secrets won’t change that.  We’re only trying to help…to protect you.  The number of unmated who tried coming for Bethi”—Gabby glanced at me briefly—“was unimaginable.  We don’t want the same thing happening to you.”

“Or Michelle,” Emmitt said.

His concern for his Mate would have been touching if…no, it wasn’t touching.  He was still a bloody git.  However, it was interesting to hear that the attacks Bethi and I had faced were the first.  There had to be a reason.  Why now?

When Gabby remained quiet, the three Elders looked to me.

“Luke, we would like to know why those unmated attacked you.”

“Me too,” I said, leaning back in my chair.  “Say, I understand why the two of you are here.  I even understand why the two protégés are here, but why you,” I said, looking at Jim, “and not your da?”

Jim smiled slightly.  “I’ve always gotten a kick out of accents.  Say bloody hell.”

“Jim,” Winifred said with warning.

“Bloody hell,” I said, laying the accent on thick.

Jim grinned wider, and Winifred scowled.

“Jim is here to learn as an Elder in training.”

I laughed.  “Good luck with that.”

“Thank you,” she said.  “I’ll need it.  Now…we need answers in order to know how to protect our people.  We don’t want to command you, but we will if necessary.”

Grinning widely, though I wasn’t the least amused, I answered.

“You’ll command me to share whatever was said in this room because you think it might hold a key to protecting our people?  That could be dangerous for you.  What if the ladies talked about their knickers?”  This time both Clay and Emmitt growled.  “If you used a command, forcing me to share something that didn’t have anything to do with preserving or protecting our race, would you drop dead?  I mean, that’s your purpose, right?  Protect without trodding on our rights?”

Winifred’s gaze held mine for several long moments.  I knew she was contemplating my words.  Not that she would die—I knew it didn’t work quite like that—but that what had been shared might not be any of the Elders’ business.  They were careful with where they stuck their noses.  At least, they always had been in the past.

Sam sat back with a sigh and looked at Gabby once again.  I knew what they were doing.  They were trying to find the weakest of us.  The one most likely to speak.  Good luck with that.  I’d meant what I’d said to Grey about trust.  None of us had a reason to trust them from the way Bethi was talking.

“You’re like a daughter to me,” Sam said.  “If anything happened to you...”

Gabby snorted.  “You have an odd way of showing affection.  If there had been another way to help Bethi and Luke, I would have taken it rather than asking anything from you.”

The scent of Sam’s pain was real.  Gabby, however, was human and wouldn’t know how much her words had hurt him.

“How did you find Bethi, Luke?” Winifred asking, watching me closely.  “We find it odd that we found two within a single year.”

“We?”  Gabby snorted.  “Looks like another one won’t have a choice.”

“Winifred, I’m worried about Bethi,” Michelle said.  “I’d like to check on her.  I don’t have anything to add to what I’ve already said.  What she shared in confidence, I’ll keep in confidence because I don’t believe there is any immediate threat to us.”

Winifred sighed.  “Fine.  Go.  Emmitt, I’d like you to stay.”

“Don’t try to wake her,” I warned Michelle.  I didn’t want to see her hurt or Bethi upset by something she couldn’t control.

Michelle nodded and left the room.

“I think I’m done here, too,” Gabby said, standing.

Sam reached out and grabbed her wrist.  Clay’s chair skid against the floor as he stood suddenly and leaned toward the pair.  Winifred exhaled heavily.

“Gabby, Sam truly cares for you.  Never doubt that.  Sam,” she said, glancing at him.

He released her wrist, a sorrow filled expression on his face, and slowly sat.

Gabby sat, too, her resentment filling the room with an acrid odor.

“As you said,” Winifred said turning toward me, “our very existence is for the protection of our kind.  If you know anything that could help us understand what’s happening, we ask that you share it with us now.”

“I don’t think I do.  You never said…why isn’t the pack leader here?  Or the other Elders.”

“Elder Joshua is on his way here.  We are missing two others, who are currently assisting in Europe, but we will communicate with them through our link.”

“Europe?  What are they assisting with?”

“Nothing of your concern,” she said, not unkindly.  “Your concern is Bethi and keeping her safe.  Now, how can we help you do that?”

“By letting me go to her.  What if my knowledge of what’s happening in Europe would keep her safe?”

“I highly doubt that,” Winifred said.  “Michelle will watch over Bethi for you while we wait for Grey to join us.”

“Is he bringing the spotlight to shine in our eyes?  Which one of you will play good cop this time?”

Sam flushed red and Winifred looked at the table for a moment.

“Gabby, perhaps you’d like to step out for a few minutes.”

“Finally, something I want to do.”  She stood and Clay was a half a second behind her.  “Clay, could you stay for another minute?”  He watched Gabby walk out of the room, but didn’t sit again.

“Your secrecy is creating discord in their relationships,” Winifred said.

“Yeah.  Rough to have Mates who keep secrets,” I said, indifferent to their problems.

Emmitt fisted his hands and Clay growled.

“Are you certain you have nothing you want to tell us?  Nothing that might help us keep the peace?” Winifred asked.

“Yep.  There’s nothing I can tell you that will help keep the peace.”  Quite the opposite.

She sighed.  “Very well.  Clay.  Emmitt.  Please wait for your Mates in the commons with Luke.”

They both smirked at me.  Bollocks.  I was still sore from the last attack.

“Jim.  Carlos.  Perhaps you two could escort them,” Winifred added.

If she thought her intervention would win her any favors, it wouldn’t. The five of us filed out of the room, leaving the two Elders.  Jim fell into step beside me.

“Teach me a cool English phrase for when I’m mad.  But keep it PG, because there are two cubs who are going to learn it.”

I glanced at Jim.  “Why aren’t you mad too?  It was your scent on the bike.”

Jim nodded.  “Yep.  You took it on my watch.  But, getting mad at you didn’t do Emmitt any good.  You laughed.  He got madder.  The only one his anger is really affecting is himself.”

“Shut up, Jim,” Emmitt said from behind us.

“So,” Jim said ignoring him, “instead of getting mad, I’ll just let you owe me for forgiving you for taking the bike.”

“Owe you.”

“Yep.  Like I owe Emmitt for losing it.”

“And what do you expect for payment?”

“A favor at some future time,” Jim said with an easy smile.  “It’ll probably involve food.  Speaking of…” he said as he pushed open the doors of the commons.

The large room was fairly empty.  A couple with four cubs, two young and two almost grown, played games at the tables.  The young ones called out to Emmitt as he entered.  He joined them.

While Jim went straight to the kitchen, I went to one of the comfortable chairs.  The same one Clay had pulled me from several weeks ago.  I sat in it with a grin.  Clay remained stoic, but I knew he remembered, too.

The smells coming from the kitchen made my mouth water.  Charlene and a few other women were making traditional American fixings for Thanksgiving.  The sweet and savory smells begged to be sampled.  From within the kitchen, I heard Charlene scold Jim.  Sampling wasn’t encouraged.  Still, he managed to leave the kitchen with several sandwiches in one hand.

My grin faded as the minutes, and Jim’s sandwiches, disappeared.  The need to check on Bethi crawled along my skin like an itch.  I wasn’t the only one having issues.  Clay’s knee bounced as he watched the doors.

When the doors finally opened, the man was on his feet and standing in front of the women before I could get to my feet.  His bulk blocked them from view.  Well, not the top of Michelle’s head.  Only Gabby and Bethi.  I understood he was concerned for Gabby, but blocking me from Bethi was not acceptable.

“She’s fine, big guy,” Bethi said from somewhere in front of Clay.  “But my stomach’s really hurting.  Would you mind—”

“Move already,” I said as I pushed Clay aside.  Did she really have to spell it out for him?  Couldn’t he smell her pain and hunger?

With him out of the way, I saw Bethi wobble on her feet and lifted her into my arms.  Bethi’s gaze remained locked on Clay and Gabby.  There was no mystery why.  I could smell his annoyance and anger.  Tough.

“I’m fine,” Gabby said.  “Bethi’s not.  We’re supposed to get her something to eat.”

I turned and found Emmitt blocking my way, the two cubs chasing each other around his legs.  What was with these people?  Only the presence of the cubs kept the urge to push Emmitt out of the way in check.  Not by much.  I impatiently growled.

Bethi reached up and lightly smacked the back of my head.  “The decisions you make and the words you speak influence the people around you.  Be aware of your influence,” she quoted.

She remembered.  I looked down at the boys.  “Excuse me, please.”

They scampered out of the way, and Emmitt stepped aside, his gaze on Michelle.  The scent of Bethi’s pain continued to swamp the air as I carried her toward the chair I’d left.

“Didn’t you take the pills?” I asked.

“I took them.  Nana mentioned something about food,” she said, looking toward the kitchen.

That was what had taken so long.  Winifred had gone to Bethi.  My annoyance grew.  Bethi and I needed to talk and then get out of here.  She winced, and I realized we wouldn’t be going anywhere for a while.

“I’ll get it for you,” Michelle called, moving toward the kitchen.

I sat and settled her in my lap and watched Emmitt follow closely behind Michelle.

Clay and Gabby sat across from us, Gabby perching on one of his knees.  The sight didn’t bother me as it once would have.

“How long have you two been together?” Bethi asked them.

“Clay has been living with me since the end of August.”  Gabby smiled.  “But I just recently Claimed him.”

“Not Mated?”

Gabby shook her head, and Bethi’s scent soured.  She had no reason for jealously.  I belonged to her, heart and soul.

Michelle returned with a sandwich.  “Here you go.”

Bethi took the plate.  “Thanks.  How long have you and Emmitt been together?” she asked before taking a bite of the sandwich.

“I lived with Emmitt for several weeks before I Claimed him.  That was several months ago.  We’re planning a winter wedding.”

Bethi’s scent soured further.  I wasn’t the only one picking up on her odd mood.  Emmitt watched her closely.

“What about you two?” he asked.

Bethi shrugged and took another bite.  I remained quiet as she chewed then swallowed, interested in her answer.

“He has a problem with my boobs.”

Problem?  Hell no.  Wait.  Yes, I did have a problem.  I adored them, and I shouldn’t.  Not yet.  The feel of them in my palm returned.  I clenched my fist, and a choked noise escaped me as she took another small bite of her sandwich and proceeded to talk with her mouth full.

“Secretly, I think he’s hoping if he waits until I’m eighteen they might grow a bit more.”

She needed to stop talking about them so I could stop thinking about them.  My hands shook, and I struggled not to reach out and cover her mouth.

“They’re kinda like the elephant in the room.  We’re not allowed to talk about them.”

She wasn’t going to stop.  I stood, turned, set her in the chair, and strode toward the doors.

“That’s usually how he reacts if I do talk about them,” Bethi said from behind me.

“So you haven’t Claimed him yet?” Gabby asked.

Pushing out the doors, I strode into the hallway, willing the trembling to stop.  I didn’t go far.  I couldn’t.  So I heard what Bethi said in response to Gabby’s question.

“Nope.  He won’t let me.  He’s pretty quick to protect his precious neck.  I got smacked in the face, like, at least fifty times on the trip here.”

“That makes no sense,” Gabby said.  “I was so sure.”

I paced and shook my hand.  The feel of Bethi remained firmly in my palm.  She was killing me.  She knew it, too.  Why did she need to keep pushing?  She had enough to deal with right now.  Adding me and my obsession to the mix wouldn’t help her.

A moment later, the doors opened.  Gabby looked surprised to see me pacing the hallway.  Clay didn’t.  He knew.

“What’s going on with you?” Gabby asked, stopping to watch me.

I gave Clay a look and then tried to ignore them both.

“He’s trying not to—”

“I thought you didn’t talk,” I said, interrupting him.  “I liked you better that way.”

“And I thought I’d sent you to your Mate,” Gabby said.  “I mean, you feel a pull, right?”

I stopped pacing and turned to face her.  “If the pull was any stronger, I’d be glued to her backside.”

“Then, why aren’t you letting her…?”

Frustration crept into my tone.  “How can I possibly let her?  She’s sleep deprived, had been chased by mutts, injured, and she’s not even eighteen.  Now doesn’t seem like the right time to throw an obsessed werewolf onto the list.”

“If you keep telling her no, she might think you don’t want her and start looking at—”

“I’ve made my stance very clear.  She knows I’m interested, but waiting.”

Gabby slowly shook her head.  “I think your rejection hurt her.  Don’t wait too long.”

“I won’t.  There’s too much happening right now.”  Like unprecedented attacks on my future mate.  “Can I ask you something?”  She nodded.  “When you were with Sam, were you ever attacked by any unmated males?”

“Attacked?  No.  But human men hit on me all the time.  It’s always been that way, though.”

“So you’ve never been attacked or put at risk?”

“No.”

“Yeah,” Clay said at the same time.

Interesting.  “When?”

“After she left for school.  A mutt challenged me while we were out for a walk.  Gabby was there.”

Challenges happened.  It was part of who we were.  But challenges typically didn’t happen around females or cubs.  There was too much risk and our numbers were still too low for accidents.  Just look at what had happened to my mother.

“Did you report it?”

He nodded toward Gabby.  “She called Sam.  Sam told Joshua.  That was the last one near her.”

Gabby met my gaze steadily, and I believed we were thinking close to the same thing.  She’d been fine with Sam all those years, but as soon as she moved away, trouble had found her.  And, once again, Joshua had been involved.

She and Clay left me in the hall.  After a few deep breaths, I returned to the commons.  Bethi wasn’t in her chair.  Before I could worry, I heard her in the kitchen.  I sat in the chair and waited.

“This should help,” Charlene said.

“Can I carry that for you?” Emmitt asked.

I watched Bethi shuffle from the kitchen, Emmitt and Michelle closely following her.  Emmitt had a loaded dessert plate in his hand, which was good.  Bethi needed the food.

“She doesn’t look so good,” Gabby said softly.  “Just don’t miss your chance.”

I glanced at Gabby, seeing her concern for me…for Bethi…for our future.  Bethi had laid some serious stuff down for all of us.

“If you’re feeling tired,” Emmitt said, drawing my attention, “you could take this back to your room.”

Bethi stopped and turned to him.  “I’m not really tired as much as I just want to be alone for a while,” she said.  “So going back to my room sounds great.  Would you come get me when something interesting happens?”

Emmitt nodded and the three left.  Bloody prick.

“You’re wrecking the chair,” Gabby said.

I looked down at my clawed hands and the small tears in the arm.  My marks weren’t the first.

“He needs his tail handed to him,” I said.

“I think everyone needs that at least once in their lives,” Clay said.  “Ready for your turn?”

“Yeti’s don’t talk,” I said, standing.

“I don’t think she wants you to follow her,” Gabby said.

“You just told me not to wait.  Now, I’m supposed to wait?”

“Are you going to her to let her Claim you?”

“No.”

“Then, yes, I’m telling you to wait.”

“I’ve never been good at listening.  Or waiting,” I said, walking away.