There was a story Fensa’s papa used to tell about her grandmother. The same story Fensa had once told Xenon. How her grandmother was tricked by her grandfather into returning with him to Viking Age Norway. According to Fensa’s father, though she’d been pissed off at first, Fensa’s grandmother soon learned to love her new home, and her Viking mate. But then she’d been attacked by a wolf during her seventh month of pregnancy, and against her wishes, Fensa’s grandfather sent her back to her time, promising to find her again.

Soon after her return, Fensa’s grandmother woke in a room at the Arizona clinic—the closest one to the North American gate, no longer pregnant.

It was only a family story, told by her papa to amuse and amaze at bedtime.

But many decades later, the exact same thing happened to Fensa.

Except instead of what used to be the Arizona clinic, she recognized the pale green walls of what had been turned into the Arizona State Sanatorium. Thanks to having the only gate in North America, the kingdom town had upgraded to a hospital, while its old clinic had been converted into a home for mentally ill wolves after her cousin Tu, Queen of Oklahoma, made a huge bequest in the hopes of helping her troubled nephew, Knud.

Oh, no…Fensa shook her head at the sight of those familiar walls. Only to regret it. For once her bioware stayed quiet, but what felt like the worst headache she’d ever had—even worse than the concussion she’d scored after going through the time gate the first time—pulsed inside her head, topped off with a faint ringing noise.

“You’re awake. Good.”

The words were spoken by a deep voice, so close she at first thought they were coming from inside her head. That Xenon had somehow joined her after all. But no, this wasn’t the voice of her mate. It was deep, but not dark and resonant. And when she gingerly turned her head in the direction the words had come from, she found not Dale Nightwolf, as her grandma Chloe had, but his grandson—her cousin…

“Rafes…” she croaked.

“President Nightwolf,” he corrected. Reminding her of his title.

Oh yeah…her mother had mentioned something at Papa’s funeral about him becoming President of the North American Lupin Council, the governing body that oversaw the North American wolves. But why was he now insisting the crazy cousin he’d watched get carried screaming out of teen wolf leadership camp call him by his title?

“You’ve obviously had a mental breakdown of some sort,” he told her, as if in answer to her question. “You disappeared two weeks ago, only to show up here in this condition. Do you have any idea how scared your family was? How scared we all were?”

Fensa’s headache swelled, and tears filled her eyes. Not because of the pain, but because of what she was beginning to realize had happened.

Her grandmother had gone back to Viking Era Norway. But Fensa…well, she’d once more been the victim of her delusions. An episode so severe, so big, she’d honestly thought she’d been transported to Ice Age North America for the past four years. It had felt so real, so very real, but it wasn’t. Of course, it wasn’t. A dragon? The love of a lifetime? A happy family? These were all things schizophrenics like her didn’t get to have.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “Tell my mom I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I wish I could control these episodes, but I can’t.”

“Tell her yourself. Your family went back to the Arizona kingdom house, but I promised I’d call as soon as you woke.”

Another knot of pain pulsed inside her head and Fensa’s eyes dropped like lead curtains, desperately wanting to close. As if her body still had important work to do and needed her to go back to sleep to do it.

But Fensa fought against the tug of exhaustion to ask, “How long have I been out?”

“Almost three days,” Rafes—President Nightwolf—answered brusquely, as if this wasn’t information she needed to know. “Now, before your family arrives, tell me everything you know about Damianos Drákon.”

“Wait…who?” she asked, shaken to hear him say something that sounded a lot like “drakkon” so soon after waking from her delusion.

“Damianos Drákon. The businessman who’s been buying up dead kingdom towns, and appears to have designs on our gate system. But perhaps you know him as Anos, since that’s what his friends call him. Look, I need you to tell me everything you know about him, right now.”

Fensa’s head pulsed again. And for some reason, a word suddenly appeared in her mind. Enemy. As in Rafes was somehow not to be trusted. No, he wasn’t her enemy, per se. But he was the enemy of a cause she cared passionately about. It was right on the tip of her tongue…

“I don’t know…” she began but had to stop because another sickening wave of pain pulsed through her head, blurring the world so badly she was forced to close her eyes.

Papa Olafr…Mama…Ola…Father…FJ…grad school…Xenon…Eos…twins… Koko…Viking Shifters video game…happy family…theoretical physics…Myrna… Grandpa…Big Daddy…

Words that were both nonsensical, yet somehow familiar, flooded her brain as the headache mercifully subsided. And when she opened her eyes once more, she found Rafes standing over her bed with a frown on his otherwise young presidential face.

“Look, I’m not the enemy,” he said, as if he’d pulled the word out of her mind. “I know you and your family like to think I am, but I’m only trying to do what’s best for us. What’s best for our kind—not just your family. Now you’ve obviously been in contact with Damianos Drákon, or one of his cohorts, so I need to know everything you know before this gets ugly. How many of them are there? Is he the one you had relations with? Did he tell you anything about their plans?”

“I don’t understand these questions. Or why you’re asking them…”

“Don’t play with me, Fensa. Obviously, you understand. How did you think this would play out when you returned? Did you think your royal status would protect you when we found out you were in league with that asshole this whole time? Why were you pretending to be one of my mother’s staunchest supporters? Are you one of his minions? I know for a fact he has them planted throughout our community. Are you the reason Anos Drákon knows so much about the gates?”

“Information? What information? I don’t understand what you mean about the gate.”

“Yeah right. Fensa Greenwolf, the foremost authority on gate physics, doesn’t understand. Sure…”

He leaned low. “You think this is a game, Fensa. You think you can act dumb, and use your position as the future Queen of Michigan to play me and everyone else in our family for fools. But I am the fucking president of North America. I can put you in a cell for the rest of your life, so your poor fathers never see you again. You think I won’t do it? Then say you don’t understand to me one more time!”

Fensa stared at her cousin in shock. He’d never been what she’d call nice…not like his brother, Nago. But he’d also never been like this. Intense. Scary. And he’d certainly never threatened her before. The last time she’d seen him, he’d barely been able to look her in the eyes. Maybe because she reminded him too much of his brother, Knud—

“What the hell is going on here?!”

As if called forth by memory, Knud Nightwolf, one of Rafes’s triplet brothers, stormed into the room with a medical tablet under his arm. He wore a white doctor’s coat, and he was glaring at Rafes like he was the scum of the earth rather than a beloved sibling.

Oh no. Oh, God. This is bad. Rafes was right. She must have had a complete psychotic break. Because Knud was dead. He’d committed suicide in a room just down the hall over a year ago, less than five years after finishing his stint with a special wolf division of the human Marines. So how could he be here? In her room, wearing a doctor’s coat?

Fensa cast her eyes away from Knud, carefully ignoring the walking and talking delusion lest Rafes start asking even more questions she couldn’t answer about her psychotic breakdown. But when she tried to return to the conversation with Rafes, she found him arguing with the brother she’d thought was a delusion.

“What the hell do you think is going on here?” Rafes responded to Knud. “I’m questioning Fensa about Drákon.”

“You have got to be fucking kidding me. Did you even contact her parents? Or Ola?”

Wait…WHAT?!?! Did he just say “parents” and “Ola”?!

Before Fensa could open her mouth to ask, another pulsing headache hit her. Mama…Papa Olafr…Father FJ or Dad…we have three parents now, a voice inside her head told her. But where’s Ola? She should be here.

Meanwhile Rafes looked away from Knud with reluctant guilt written across his face. “I was planning to text her parents as soon as I finished questioning her. And you’re the one who told Ola to get some sleep in the on-call room.”

“Because that was the only way she would get any sleep. And I promised to wake her as soon as Fensa regained consciousness.”

Yes, she’d heard that right. They were talking about Ola! Ola, her biggest delusion. No, not a delusion, the small voice insisted. Real! Real! She’s real, and she’s your best friend! She should be here!

“Fine, then wake her up!” Rafes commanded Knud with a dismissive sweep of his hand.

“And leave our cousin here with you? I don’t think so. What kind of bastard grills a woman who just woke up from an emergency C-section anyway?”

“You’re acting like she’s a fragile flower when she’s obviously some kind of sleeper agent!”

“She’s obviously nothing but our cousin, man! Our family member who’s just given birth, and needs some time to recover before getting the second degree from you, or anyone else.”

Already got a second degree, and I’m working on my third as we speak, thank you! the voice said inside her head.

“Fenny!” another voice shouted outside her head.

Rafes cursed, but that was the last Fensa saw of him before a huge woman with huge hair and huge eyes and huge…well, everything filled up her vision. The next thing Fensa knew, she was being crushed into the tightest hug she’d ever received. Not reverent at all, but so full of love, she could almost feel it rolling off the other woman’s body like a yellow flame.

It was Ola! Her Ola! The one from her delusions. Oh, God, how bad had she lost her mind out in the Arizona desert? But no, the new voice kept insisting. Real! Real! Real!

“Are you real?” she whispered, remembering the test Xenon had suggested as a way to differentiate between what was real, and what was purely delusional.

Ola jerked back from the hug as if Fensa’s words had burned her. “Of course, I’m real, Fenny.”

She glared over her shoulder. “What the hell did you say to her?” she asked Rafes.

“Nothing! I just asked her a few questions, questions she’s pretending to be too dazed and confused to answer.”

“I’m not pretending,” Fensa said just as Ola said, “She’s not pretending.”

“Fuck, and now they’re back in twin-wolf stereo. Good job, Rafes. Because that shit wasn’t irritating enough when we were kids.”

“Hey!” Ola said, taking offense on behalf of them both. “I’m sorry my sister and I agree about most things, and don’t argue all the time like you and your idiot brothers. It’s not our fault we love each other and don’t have our heads up our asses.”

Rafes steepled his hands, then tapped them against his nose as if praying for patience, before saying, “Ola, you think you’re safe because you’re my cousin…”

“And the future Queen of North Dakota,” Ola reminded him.

“But you really don’t understand how close I am to ordering a hit after what you pulled in North Dakota, and now this,” Rafes finished as if Ola hadn’t interjected.

“Okay, that’s it!” Knud yelled. “I’m kicking you both out of here. Look at her! You’re obviously upsetting my patient.”

“Your patient only because our lovely fucking president abused all his powers to get you assigned to her case!” Ola pointed out. “Don’t act like you’re not working for him, Pretend Doctor.”

“Ola, I’ve about had it with this Pretend Doctor bullshit,” Knud said, glaring. “I don’t work for my brother anymore, and for your information, I’m an actual medical professional.”

“Oh, is that something they taught you to say at the human school you snuck off to, instead of going to one of our med programs like a legitimate shifter doctor?”

Before he could answer, Ola turned back to Fensa to say, “So yeah, like crazy-ass Knud is a doctor now. For kids! He oversaw your delivery. And did I tell you Rafes tried to black box my time gate like a week after you disappeared? And, oh my God, you’ll never guess who came through the North Dakota gate before he could—”

“EVERYBODY OUT!!!!” Knud roared before she could finish. “She. Just. Woke. Up. From. A. Major. Operation. What part of that do you two fucking animals not understand? She hasn’t even seen her newborns yet. If you do not get out, I swear I will kick both your asses out of here myself.”

And there was the Knud she remembered. The wild kid who turned every argument into a fist fight and more often than not got sent to his room before Thanksgiving dinner was done. Doctor’s coat or not, he was still “the other crazy cousin” she recalled.

Except he was alive. How was he alive?

Before she could open her mouth to ask all the questions she had, the rest of what he’d said dropped down on her like an anvil.

“Wait, did you say newborns?!?!”