Breakfast woke Lillian up.

She opened her eyes and immediately shut them when brightness blinded her. The light was needles in her eyes. As her brain woke up, so did her senses. And it was chaos.

Smells and sounds and sensations, all jumbled up and overwhelming. Her brain hurt from all the sensory input.

Her heart rate increased until she thought it would stop. Lillian covered her ears and clenched her eyes shut. Still, her head span, and something inside of her pulled on the leashes and tried to escape.

It was all too much. The voices, the smells, the wolf.

She passed out.

"Lillian?"

Lillian cracked her eyes open. Everything came back to her at once.

"Focus on me, focus all your senses on me," the voice said.

Noah. She knew it was him, yet his voice sounded different. There were layers in it she couldn't hear before that she now did. The same for his scent.

Lillian converged all her senses on him. He was holding her. She was completely surrounded by him. She blinked, taking shallow breaths. Noah was sitting on the bed, with her in his lap. The curtain was pulled on the glass, blocking the sun, yet the halo of the light around it still stung her eyes.

Lillian switched her gaze to Noah's chest. The scar on his shoulder jumped at her, clear and detailed in its jagged edges and paler color. His skin was warm.

Then the wolf inside her pulled at the reins. It took all Lillian had to keep her from shifting.

"She keeps trying to come out," Lillian said, her voice coming out in a scratchy whisper.

"Your wolf?" he asked, his voice pitched low.

Lillian nodded. Her hair slid against Noah's shoulder. She raised her head. The sounds other than Noah's heartbeat took a backseat. She already felt better, more in control.

"Do you want to shift?" Noah asked.

"No. I want to talk to the twins." She raised her eyes to his and was struck by how bright his eyes were. Flecks of gold sparked in his irises, bright against the amber. She never knew they existed. "Your eyes are so beautiful."

Noah chuckled, hugging her to him until she was smothered. She didn't mind. Even her wolf seemed to calm down with him around. Lillian relaxed a fraction.

She felt odd. New yet the same. When Noah let her go, she finally turned her attention to the room. Details she hadn't noticed the day before jumped at her. The grain of wood in the ceiling, the thread lines of the sheets, the texture of the walls. She had been blind before this.

"Wow," she breathed out. "This is... weird."

Noah leaned to the side, picked up a phone from the bedside table and handed it to her. Eager to hear the twins' voices again after the eventful day before, she dialed Jennifer's number and held the phone to her ear. Noah moved her hand until the phone was several inches away from her ear. Right.

"Did you tell them?" Lillian asked as the phone rang.

"Only the adults know," Noah said. "The twins don't. Not yet."

Thankful he had left the decision to her, she pressed her lips to his cheek. His stubble pricked her lips. Jennifer picked up.

"Should I say congratulations?"

Lillian smiled. "Is that what they usually say to new wolves?"

"I have no idea, darling. It's been a long time since a human shifted, so I guess we'll make our own rules."

Jennifer's southern accent warmed Lillian's heart and melted some of her anxiety. "Are the twins there?"

"They're in their shifting class. I'm on my way there. Hold on, I see them."

There was some rustling, then Elijah's cheerful voice came through the phone.

"Mommy, when are you coming back?"

Lillian's eyes watered. She cleared her throat. "Very soon. Do you miss me?"

"Yeah!" Elijah said. "Can we spend the night in Elias' house tonight?"

Lillian choked on her laughter. "I don't think you missed me at all."

"Yes, we did!" Ezra called, his voice close by. "When are you coming back?"

Lillian looked at Noah. She didn't know if he still had business here. He shrugged and whispered, "Whenever you want."

"Maybe today," Lillian said. "I don't know for sure. But you can spend the night at Elias' house whenever you want if his parents are okay with it."

Cheers sounded on the other side, and Jennifer came back seconds later. After a few minutes' chatter, they hung up. Lillian looked at the phone.

She didn't know how the twins would react to her being a wolf. Would they recognize her? Of course they would. What a silly thought.

"Do I smell different?" she asked Noah.

"You smell like you, just stronger with the undertone that all werewolves have," he replied. "Don't worry, the twins will know you."

How did he know her so well? Lillian sighed, her senses slowly stretching beyond Noah. The smell of food registered to her nose. Her stomach growled.

"Let's put some food into you," Noah said.

Lillian climbed out of his lap. Her hands slid against the fabric of the sheets. It would take her a while to get used to how new everything felt.

Noah opened the door of the bedroom. Lillian looked down at herself. She was dressed in a t-shirt and pajama pants. She vaguely remembered being naked the night before. The Shift had thrown her sense of modesty out the window. Oh, well.

The smells grew stronger, as did the sounds. Noah paused, waiting for Lillian to recalibrate her senses. She was getting the hang of it.

After a few minutes she nodded, and they left the sanctuary of their room.

Amanda fluttered around the kitchen, humming under her breath. Sean at the sink next to her, washing the dishes. Elle and Charles sat on the couch, wiping down their swords with rags that smelled pleasant. Clove oil?

Sean dropped what was in his hands and was beside her in a heartbeat. He took her by surprise when he hugged her.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't protect you yesterday," he whispered.

Lillian smiled and hugged him back tightly. "It's not your fault. Besides, it all turned out for the best, right?"

He pulled back, held her by the shoulders and looked into her eyes. Something in Lillian snapped. Why was he looking at her? He shouldn't be looking. Growling. She startled, realizing it was coming from her, and closed her eyes tightly, pushing back her wolf.

Sean chuckled, patting her shoulders. "Oh, boy. This will take some time getting used to."

After a few seconds, Lillian's wolf retreated to the back of her mind. When she opened her eyes again, Amanda and Elle were looking at her with amused expressions.

She blew out a breath. "Okay, what does everyone know that I don't."

"Why don't you sit down first?" Amanda said. "You should be hungry, no?"

"Starving," Lillian mumbled, going to sit by the island. She looked around the place. Everything looked put together and clean, even the glass wall was brain new. If not for the changes in her, she would've thought yesterday was a dream.

Amanda put a stack of pancakes with chocolate syrup in front of Lillian, and a plate with a heap of sausages and scrambled eggs. Lillian's stomach growled embarrassingly loud.

She picked up her fork and looked at Noah, who stood beside her, watching her every move. "You're hovering."

Sean snorted, going to the fridge, he pulled out a carton of juice and milk. "Coffee or juice, Lillian?"

"Juice, thank you."

Lillian made a tremendous effort not to drop the fork and shove food into her mouth with her hands. She was that hungry. Noah sat beside her and pulled her chair closer until her thigh pressed against his. Lillian was as comforted by the contact as he must be. Elle leaned a hip against the island.

Taking deliberately small bites, she listened to Elle tell Noah something about her mother's diary.

"So," Lillian said through a mouthful of sausages, when there was a lull in the conversation. "Any idea about yesterday's attacks?"

"We have a few," Amanda said, leaning on the counter and crossing her arms. She looked particularly radiant this morning, with an airy pale blue shirt and a flaring white skirt.

Amanda told her about the theories they came up with the night before. Lillian forgot all about the food, staring wide-eyed at Amanda.

"Experiments?" she asked.

"It's a theory," Elle said, coming to stand next to Amanda. "But it makes the most sense. Like Amanda said, the attack was clearly aimed at you, just like the attack back in your pack. And using rogues to kill you would be way too messy and uncertain, so the only option is that they weren't trying to kill you, but to make you shift."

Lillian frowned. "It does make sense."

"Do you have any knowledge of your parents?" Amanda asked.

Lillian shook her head, washing down the taste of her past with a sip of juice. "None. I grew up in an orphanage. The records say I was found near a hospital as a baby."

"That's why we need your blood," Elle said. "We might be able to tell something about your history or ancestry through it. If you don't mind."

Noah sighed beside her. Lillian remembered Eva burning bloodied gauze and bandages back in the pack, remembered them telling her of the ways immortals could use blood in all sorts of things.

Lillian looked at Elle and Amanda. She trusted them, to a certain extent. At least Amanda. And Elle didn't strike her as someone who would use underhanded methods to hurt her. Lillian had a feeling that if Elle wanted to hurt someone, she would do it on a direct fight with her sword of her fists.

Besides, this was the first time in Lillian's life when she had a chance at figuring out her past, or at least a part of it.

"Alright," Lillian said. "But what if you find something? What if I'm actually the result of some experiment? Why did they try to make me shift?"

"If what we're doubting is true," Elle said. "Then they might have found a way to make special humans, ones who could survive the Shift."

"Ones who could carry immortal children," Amanda added. "If that's true, it's going to be a massive revolution."

Lillian could only imagine the repercussions of such a thing.

"So we need to find what exactly they did, or how you were changed. Were you born this way? Or did they do something after you were born? We need all the details."

Elle held up a worn leather-bound book. "My mother wrote a shit ton of crap in her diary-"

"Very eloquent," Charles mumbled, and Lillian heard him despite the low pitched voice.

"Screw you, Blondie," Elle shot back. "Anyway, I still have so much to get through." she waved the diary around. "In the meantime, Amanda suggested we all go back to your pack and get the Seer there, too. She might be able to tell us something."

"Okay," Lillian said, polishing the last of her food. She stared at the two plates. She couldn't believe she had devoured all that and there was still room for more. She put down the fork and looked around. "So, what are you not telling me?"

Elle grinned, her one eye sparkling. "Your dominance."

Lillian frowned, feeling her wolf's nudge against her mind. "What about it?"

"You're going to give other wolves a headache," Sean said, wiping his hand on a dishtowel and throwing it over his shoulder. "You're very dominant."

Lillian wrinkled her nose. "I am?"

"Yes," Noah said. "You might even give Sean a run for his money."

Sean chuckled. "She'll have to train in order to match her bite to her bark, but yes, no one will argue you taking the alpha female position, now."

Lillian bit her lip. She didn't know whether that was good or bad. Already, her wolf was pulling at the strings of her control. She felt that if she gave her the slightest room, she would burst forth and claw everything in sight.

"Like Sean said, you'll have to train harder. Now that you're a wolf, and a dominant one at that, other wolves might try to challenge you," Noah said.

He didn't sound too happy about it. And neither was Lillian. Then she reminded herself that she was no longer limited by a human body. Her strength, senses and reflexes were all better now, they would help her be a better fighter more quickly. Hopefully.

Lillian sighed. It would be a long road ahead. "I guess this is just the beginning."

*** **** ***

Being outside was a novel experience. Everything seemed sharper. The colors, the scents, the sounds. Even the feel of the breeze and the sunlight against her skin.

How had she lived so long without knowing the world was this beautiful? So many details she hadn't been able to see, so many sensations she hadn't known.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay for the punishment?" Lillian asked Noah. They were waiting for Sean by the door of the building. The sky was a blinding blue, not a cloud in sight. The grass around them rippled under a sudden gust of wind. Lillian tugged on her sweater. She felt hot already. She envied Noah's light t-shirt. Her wardrobe would have to change, too, it seemed.

The wolves would be exacting their revenge on the vampires this afternoon. Lillian thought Noah might want to participate, but he didn't seem to care.

"No need," Noah said, his bright eyes scanning their surroundings. Their condo was at the very edge of the stripe of buildings, so it was empty, safe for a few people in the distance. "The other wolves will do the honor. I have more important matters to attend to."

"Aha?"

Noah slid his gaze to Lillian, then he stepped close until his breath tickled her ear. "Yes."

Lillian shivered. It was only one word. One simple word and she felt her insides burn with fire. It took her a second to figure out why. Her nostrils flared. Noah's scent smelled more potent, with a spicy layer that heated her blood.

She pulled back, squinted her eyes at him and waved her pointer finger under his nose. "Don't be inappropriate in public."

His eyes crinkled. "So I can be inappropriate in private?"

Lillian poked his chest. "You know what I mean." She grumbled under her breath, "sneaky wolf."

Right then, two wolves stepped out of a building nearby. Noah stood straighter, laughter leaving his eyes. The two wolves froze. Lillian sucked in the air, trying to find their scents. It took her a second but she did it. They were both alphas, their wolves strong and present. Lillian's own wolf could feel them.

They stared at her like she was a ghost.

"Is that...?" one of them whispered, but her ears picked up the words.

Lillian's wolf bristled at the eye-contact. She didn't even try to pull her wolf back when she stared out of her eyes, pushing forward. Her eyes must be turning amber. Sean was family, it had been easy to pull her wolf back when he looked at her.

Right now, the two wolves holding her gaze weren't family. A deep instinct in Lillian told her it was important to not drop her eyes. They weren't family. They were dominant wolves she didn't know. Why should she look away?

One of the alphas cocked his head to the side, his brown eyes blazed amber and a growl spilled forth.

A responding growl built in Lillian's chest. Her foot moved forward. How dare he?

Then Noah was there, blocking her view and breaking the eye-contact. Lillian blinked, sucked back from whatever had taken over her body.

She took a shuddering breath. Noah's growl was a warning. How she knew that, she had no idea.

The two other alphas, though out of her sight, ceded the room to Noah. He was a male protecting his mate.

Noah moved aside in time for the two alphas to come close. They frowned, looking at her without keeping their gaze on her eyes.

"What the hell is happening?" one of them said, addressing Noah. "Six months ago it was a human turning into a fae who should be crazy, and now this? What has come over the world?"

"I heard about the rogue attack," the other said, sounding more thoughtful. "I guess you survived, human. Though you're no longer that."

"I survived," Lillian said, looking between the two men and keeping her wolf from pushing forward again. "Do you have a problem with that?"

One narrowed his eyes. The other threw his head back and laughed. "Oh, I am glad I lived long enough to witness all this. Things have certainly become more interesting as of late." He turned his gaze to Noah. "Congratulations, Noah. Your mate will outshine Arthur's mate in the gossip circles of immortals."

Lillian crossed her arms. That wasn't exactly a relieving thing to hear.

Footsteps behind her. Lillian didn't need to turn. Sean's smell preceded him. She was getting better at listening to her nose. It was less than a day, but how in the world had she lived without these senses?

"Do you have an issue with that?" Sean asked, coming to stand on her other side.

"None at all," the alpha said. "Good luck. You'll certainly need it."

The two wolves left after giving her another appraised look.

Sean chuckled. "Give it a few minutes."

"For what?"

"For news to spread." Noah sighed. "And everyone to come looking."

"I'm so glad we're leaving."

The three of them headed to the car, parked near the gate. Elle and the others would follow later on the day.

Lillian heaved her duffle bag. It was laughably light. She still wasn't sure about everything else, but her new strength was something she definitely enjoyed.

"Give me your bag," she told Noah. He raised a brow and threw it her way. She caught it and laughed, swinging both bags. "Okay, this is very handy."

Noah smiled and let her carry both bags to her heart's content. Their path cut through the gardens, through grass and flower beds. The perfume of flowers tickled her nose, the fresh mountain air would've been invigorating if her nose didn't pick up the hundreds of immortal scents. She was using her nose alright, but it was still difficult to separate all the input and focus only on the smells she wanted to. The cars and the gate were within sight, sounds and voices got louder.

Just when she thought they'd escaped the unnecessary attention of the other immortals following the news of her shift, people were suddenly swarming the gardens all around them. Lillian groaned. They sprang up like freaking weed.

Lillian ignored the looks. Witches, vampires, werewolves, everyone looked like they were watching a spectacle. They didn't even bother pretending not to stare.

Sean snorted. "I bet no one expected the council meeting to be this interesting."

Lillian felt the weight of a few gazes her way. She glanced around to find the several wolves looking at her with something hungry in their eyes. It wasn't the same look everyone else was giving her. It almost looked like...

Noah growled, putting his arm around her shoulders and stepping close. Lillian raised her brows. "Really?"

Sean chuckled, but covered it with a cough. "Oh, yes. You're still unmated, you know."

Noah shot his brother a look that would've killed anyone else. Sean grinned, unrepentant. Lillian bit back a smile, pushing the weight of the looks and the whispers to the back of her mind where they didn't remind her of her past. "Hmm, good to know my options are still open."

"Not funny," Noah grumbled. They picked up their pace.

Three alphas stood in their way.

Lillian came to a halt with the two men, wrenching her wolf back when she saw the hostile sneer on the alphas' faces. Her wolf pushed against the leash, reacting to a threat. They wouldn't hurt her family.

One of the alphas stepped forward, his red hair and pale skin jarringly bright under the sunlight.

"Alpha Noah, changing a human is taboo," he said, his eyes flickering to Lillian. She felt her lips peel up in a snarl she could barely hold back. The alpha narrowed his eyes on her. Lillian's wolf wanted to burst forward and claw out the man's eyes, and Lillian was in agreement for once.

"Is that so?" Sean said, his tone flippant yet frigid. "Our bad, then, I guess."

The alpha set his jaw. "Adding disrespect to your mistakes will not make them better."

Sean's eyes flashed a pale amber. "You should look more into our laws, alpha... what is your name again?" Sean said.

"Alpha Patrick," Noah said, his head tilted to the side. "We've had a discussion similar to this one before, haven't we? Where I told you to mind your business."

So Noah knew the man. That explained the air of hostility reeking off of the alpha, it seemed more than just a matter of keeping laws, it seemed personal. Lillian's grip on the bags tightened. She wanted to swing them toward the alpha's face.

"Anyway, you should be careful before accusing anyone of committing taboos. Also, there's no rule against disrespect," Sean intervened again, and Lillian knew he was doing so to prevent Noah from tearing into the others and causing a scene.

For all he'd seemed calm, Lillian knew Noah was still wound up from yesterday's upheaval. The rogue attack, the shift, the not-knowing if she'd survive or not. There was a lot of stress there that wanted an outlet, and alpha Patrick would be a great target.

Lillian held the two bags in one hand and put the other on Noah's forearm. The muscle was steel-like. He really was holding himself back. Now that she had a wolf of her own, she appreciated the amount of control Noah had on himself. It was outstanding, and his wolf was much stronger than hers.

"The law states that a potential human mate has to apply a demand to the Council in order to be turned," one of the other men with Patrick said. "And turning into a shapeshifter is kept as a last resort if there's a problem with turning a human into a vampire."

"She was dying," Sean growled. Even his patience was wearing thin. "Do you suggest we should've sought the council's permission while she was dying?"

"How do we know she was dying?" Patrick asked, crossing his massive arms across his chest.

Lillian wanted to slap him upside the head. He just kept digging his own grave. "Maybe you just took advantage of the situation and decided to turn her anyway."

Noah went unnaturally still. "Are you saying I deliberately put my mate in danger?"

Uh-oh. Silence claimed the air. It was surcharged with the promise of violence, so much so Lillian felt it in her bones. Her wolf seemed to get drunk on it, pushing forward before Lillian firmly leashed her back. No. She would not lose control of herself again. She needed to go home and be with her babies as soon as possible. Her wolf pushed forward again. Lillian gritted her teeth against the haze of hostility blurring her eyes.

"Alpha Patrick."

She had never been more glad to hear Arthur's voice.

Everyone's attention shifted to the vampire lord coming down the path behind us. Everyone except Noah, who still looked at Patrick like he was his next meal. Immortals stepped out of Arthur's way. Now that Lillian paid attention, she could see that a decent crowd had formed around them.

Arthur came to stand beside Sean. "The matter of Lillian's shift will be addressed in a meeting today," Arthur said. "If you have any questions, feel free to attend. I will be personally responsible for answering your questions."

"The meeting will be held without the parties involved, then?" Patrick said, not backing down even with Arthur's involvement. "That's not-"

"Alpha Patrick," Noah said, his voice pitched low. "The matter is done. We both know this is not about observing the laws. If you want a fight, issue a challenge and I'll gladly accept."

Patrick's lips curled in a snarl.

"Patrick!" One of the men behind Patrick hissed, looking at Noah in alarm. Arthur sighed and stepped back. Sean pulled Lillian back. Everyone around them gave them room. Noah cocked his head aside. Violence crackled in the air like electricity. Seconds stretched like hours.

Noah straightened up, rolled his shoulders and pushed past Patrick, giving him his back.

It was a blatant insult to the other alpha. A deliberate move to provoke him. Patrick growled, his eyes blazing an amber fury. "Fight! To death!" he charged.

Lillian held her breath.

Noah turned just in time to push Patrick's punch aside with his hand like he was swatting a fly.

"How do they know each other?" Lillian asked in a sub-vocal whisper. Noah was knocking aside Patrick's attack with terrifying ease. He didn't make an offensive move yet. Lillian's body jumped with every assault coming his way.

"Patrick questioned Noah about you before, when we got the kidnapped females back," Sean said. "Noah might have put him in his place in front of a dozen alphas. It must've stung his pride enough to make him stupid."

Right then, Noah ducked under Patrick's kick. Patrick was tall and built like a mountain. He almost looked bigger than Noah. But the disparity in skill between the two fighters was so flagrant as to be ridiculous. Noah took hold of the other man's foot and twisted. Patrick's entire body twisted mid-air and he hit the ground like a sack of potatoes.

It was done then.

Noah kicked Patrick in the ribs before he could climb to his feet. Bones cracked. Then he held Patrick by the collar and planted a mean right hook in his face. Patrick's eyes rolled back. Noah punched him again and again. Blood splattered the grass and the stone pathway beneath them, vivid and stark red.

Patrick lay in an unmoving heap, his face unrecognizable. Noah stood over him, his face calm for anyone who didn't know him. No one dared to breathe.

Lillian's stomach roiled. The sharp scent of blood and the sickly anticipation in the air of the death to come. It was a challenge to death. Lillian waited, her shoulders hunched, wanting to but unable to look away.

Seconds passed. But Noah made no move to end Patrick. He wouldn't kill him. Lillian blew out a relieved breath.

Noah looked at the man who'd been behind Patrick and stabbed his finger the fallen alpha's way.

"Keep him in line. This is the last time," Noah said in a guttural voice.

The man gave Noah a deep nod, his relief written all over his face.

Then Noah was making his way past the crowd to the car. Sean and Lillian followed. No one stood in their way again.

--- ---- ---

Hello guys! 

I hope you're doing well. Did you enjoy this chapter? Vote and comment if you did. I appreciate it! 

Much love <3 <3 <3

M.B.