"So what are we looking for, exactly?" Trish asks, running her hands along the spines of the old books.

When Philip had told me of the library, I immediately told the group to meet Connor and I there. I had expected a grand library, filled with people and books. I was surprised to find that the only occupants of the vast library were the books themselves. Not a single soul lingered in the rows, nor was there anyone in charge of keeping them sorted.

"Anything that mentions the tigress." I say, and my voice echos against the high ceiling.

There's some silence, and everyone looks through the books along the shelves. Maybe we should go to the library with archives of all the books that mention the tigress, but I prefer something I can hold in my hands. "I think I found something." I hear Lily say, just loud enough to echo around the room.

I walk towards her and see a set of volumes in front of her. "What are these?" I ask, lifting one up.

Lily flips through one. "Well, I went to the archive and searched for books from the early history of the Senate. I mean, you said that Philip told you that's where all of this started. Maybe we can find something out from these." There are 5 books, each a different color. "We could each take one, look through it. Maybe we can find something. Any mention of the Tigress, maybe something about her from the past. A link to you now, perhaps." I nod and lift one of the heavier volumes. Connor takes one too, followed by Trish and Desmond.

"We've only got about five more minutes until I have to go speak in front of that huge room filled with people." I say, holding the book to my chest. "Researching will have to wait for now. I better get ready."

Connor nods, and everyone else nods in response. "Let me take that." Connor gently takes the book from my hands and I give him a smile. He turns to Lily. "Take these to our room please. We'll look at them once we're finished." Lily nods her head in respect and takes them from him. Once the books are out of his hands, he wraps my arm through his. "Are you ready?"

I look up at him and gulp down the ball of nervousness forming in the back of my throat. "As ready as I'll ever be."

He laughs softly and kisses the top of my head. "If anything, they should be scared of what you can do."

I roll my eyes at him. "They won't be scared. They don't know what I can do." He smiles and I smile back. "I'll be fine. I'm just feeling anxious. I'll be fine once I start talking."

Connor nods and we begin to walk towards the Senate Hall. I can feel my heart beat quicken and I take easy breaths to try to calm it down. It kind of works, but the second the doors open, it picks up again. This time, at a much quicker pace.

Everyone stands as I enter and they nod their heads at me. I nod back in reply, and let Connor guide me to the podium. Once I'm placed right in front of it, he takes a step back, but never truly leaves my side. Everyone takes their seats and I look for Philip. When my eyes land on him, he nods as if saying to begin.

I clear my throat and take a soft breath. Solis, help me out here. "My name is Alpha Sophelia Sinclair Desperte. I am here because my pack has become the victim of a verocious attack. A curse has been placed on my members, forcing them to forget their families, and to abandon their pack. Seeing as I have no power against curses, I ask for your aid. I can't expect you to fight this for me, but I do ask for help in returning my pack to their rightful homes." I pause, looking over everyone. "I have proof that this curse is reversible, but I do not have the man power to collect my pack members. This includes my brother, the true Alpha of the Midnight Moon pack. Due to this unfortunate occurrence, I have been forced to not only become Alpha, but also to bring myself out of hiding. I have taken a great risk here to protect the pack members that I love and care for. I hope that you understand my dilemma, and agree to lend your aid to a very incapable, and inexperienced alpha."

I finish, saying less than I had planned to. It's just hard when you have all of these eyes on you. A man rises from his seat, both of his hands resting on the table. "You say you came out of hiding. Why were you hiding in the first place?"

I expected this much. It isn't a common occurrence for a young teenage girl to fake her death and bring several friends along with her, let alone a small army. "One of my father's enemies had attempted to kill me. My father and mate secretly made a plan to get me into hiding. He sent warriors with me, for extra protection." I explain easily. Although it's a lie, some of it is true.

"Then why bring Trish Reines and Lily Portland along with you?" He asks, giving me an absent look.

"Lily Portland was present when the man attempted to murder me. I suggested she come for her protection. Trish Reines, upon hearing about my death, immediately flew out to Midnight Moon. She demanded to see me. Being one of my best friends, she didn't belive I was dead. To avoid revealing me, my father told her, to which she demanded that she be with me."

I had studied these lies the entire ride. I memorized them so that when it came time to say them, I wouldn't stutter or forget. I feel that I did a great job. Besides, Lily was there, so that isn't a lie. She almost died herself.

"How do you expect us to trust you, when you have a horde of guards following you everywhere? How do we know you aren't planning to attack the Senate for power?" The man's face frowns into an angry snarl. "We have always been a private organization, and you bring warriors, friends, your mate, who knows who else you've hidden in your crew!"

A loud bang reverberates through the hall and the man flinches, looking towards the source of the sudden sound. "That is enough. She has already told us that her life is in danger. Alpha Desperte is not here to be judged. She is here to ask for help. If you do not have a reasonable rebuttal as to why we should not help, then for the goddess's sake, shut your mouth!" Philip says sternly, a hard frown marring his normally happy and smiling face. He turns to me and his face softens. "Now, Alpha Desperte. You said that you have proof that the curse is reversible. Is it available to be presented at the moment?"

I nod. "Yes, it is." I turn to Connor and he nods. He walks to the doors, opening one silently. In walk my mother and father. "My mother was a victim of the curse. Because of my father's inability to let her go, she never left the pack. Under the power of the curse, she was in immense pain. With the help of a witch, we were able to reverse the affects of the curse. Mom?" Her eyes widen and she looks at me. I walk around the podium and hold my hand out to her. She hesitantly walks towards me and places her slender fingers in my hand. "It's alright mom." I say to her. "Go ahead and tell them."

Mom nods and takes a deep breath. "I was taking my normal morning run. My husband was visiting our granddaughter, and I just really needed a run. A hazy black cloud covered the sky and I decided to head home before it started to rain. When I got back, my granddaughter was playing outside with her parents. My son told me that my mate was inside, napping on the couch, as he tends to do nowadays. I started to feel a bit sick, but I just brushed it off because I rarely ever get sick.

It started to rain so I made some tea for everyone. My granddaughter complained of an upset stomach, so we sent her up to bed early. My son admitted to feeling a bit sick too, to which his wife agreed. They excused themselves to bed, and I went to my husband, who was still heavily snoring on their couch.

Instead of waking him up, I decided to head up to the guest room and wait out the rain. In my daze, I ended up falling asleep. Everything past that is black and full of pain. I remember trying to run, but my husband wouldn't let me leave. In his desperation, he tied me down to a bed, and kept me there. The next thing I remember is waking up to my daughter's face. I thought it was a dream, because she was there, and I wasn't in pain. Since then, I haven't felt any pain. I have no idea what they did, but it's permanent." Mom finishes, staring at everyone. They look at her in awe, and she glances at me. She gives me a quick peck on the cheek then heads back to my father.

"Is that sufficient proof, Senator Philip?" I ask, giving him a beaming smile.

He nods, unsuccessfully hiding a smile. "Quite." Philip looks around the room. "We'll need time to convene in private. In the case that any substantial questions come up, we will call for another meeting. Until then, you are allowed to explore the building. We ask that you respect the wing you are staying in. It is very sacred to our history." He says to me, to which I nod.

"I'd never disrespect the Senate. Thank you all for listening to my proposal, and I hope you all see the dire need in it. This could've happened to anyone, my pack was just unlucky." I bow my head and Connor and I walk out, followed by my mom and dad.

My dad is muttering things to my mom and I can tell he's praising her.

She did a good job, and I will have to thank her for her testimony. For now though, I will give my parents their deserved alone time.

Connor and I reach our room and I plop down on the bed. "I'm exhausted." I say, stretching out."

He laughs and sits beside my, leaning back on his arms. "All you did was talk. You can't be that tired."

I sit up and frown at him. "I had to talk in front of a bunch of important people, as an alpha. Do you know how hard that is?"

"I can only imagine how hard it is to be an Alpha. It isn't like I used to be one." He pokes my forehead and falls back on the bed.

I sit up fully and look down at him. "Speaking of not being an alpha anymore." I climb on top of him and lay on his stomach. "You said that you turned down that title. I know you went rogue to come with me, but when did you turn down the title?"

Connor glances at me from under his eyelids. "Caught onto that, huh?" I nod at him and he sighs. "My dad wants me to take back the title." No surprise there. "While you were asleep on the plane, he called. He tried to beg me to come home, to forget about you. That he'd find me a suitable, submissive, mate. One that would obey me and do as I say. I told him that I don't want that. I want to be with you. We argued, to which he gave me the ultimatum, you or the title. I chose you." When he finishes, I feel his chest shaking from breathing heavily. "I'll always choose you." He says it in a whisper, his hands cupping my face.

I smile at him and place my lips over his. The warm explosion in my body causes me to shiver, but it's the good kind of shiver. "I'll always choose you too." I say against his lips. He growls softly and wraps his arms around me.

"I'll never make you choose. I'll never leave your side." Connor holds me to him, his nose grazing my neck. "You are my tigress, my queen, my everything. You control me. Tell me to shift, I'll shift. Tell me to kill, and I'll kill for you. I only ask that you never tell me to leave you, because I can't." I stare at him wide eyed and he stares at me. "I am yours Sophelia, and someday, you will be my wife. I won't let things end up any other way." I nod at him in silence. There's no chance of me speaking. I've never heard him speak with so much conviction, and I know this is a promise, a promise to be with me for the rest of forever.