Adam, his brothers and parents meet with Mike and the other pack members before they leave. He watches as the pack members tell their mates and children goodbye. He hopes that he'll be able to send most of them home once more. The wolves might be under Mike, but Mike is under him. Ultimately the lives of the wolves are his responsibility.

"No wonder you were more than willing to give up the throne," Adam says when he comes up to his father. Andres breaks off his own kiss with Mary Ann.

"So did you. Abolished the monarchy and established that council. Has it helped any?" Andres says with no little amusement.

"No," the bitterness could be heard in Adam's tone clear as a bell.

Andres loses his smile and all amusement. "It isn't easy ruling, Adam. I know that you've found that out a long time ago. Just don't make the same mistakes I did. You are already a better father than I'll ever be. Make sure it stays that way, because otherwise the regret will eat you up inside. You have more children than I could ever hope for and they all love and adore you. You've been there whenever they've needed you, like I never was.

"Your mother has forgiven me, but I can't forgive myself for not being there and being the reason my daughter, your sister died. I learned my lesson, but it was far too late." Andres makes sure that his son is listening, "I'd rather you let the world go to hell then you go through what I have and continue to suffer. I know I give you shit about giving up the throne and taking down the monarchy, but it's because I feel guilty. I should have done the same, then perhaps so much of the pain we suffered wouldn't have happened."

"Life is, what it is, dad. We suffered and you continue suffering for your decisions. There are always going to be bad decisions and suffering because of them. Sometimes it is a matter of which is the lesser of two evils.

"I was the lesser of two evils for Jewel. Being with all six of us was the lesser evil for her. But now she is suffering and has suffered because I brought her into our family."

"You saved her life-"

"And damned near made her lose it again multiple times. She looks at Sarah and Michelle and wishes that she wasn't in the picture so that they will be happier with their husbands not having to share their time."

"Shit, I didn't know she felt like that. Have you tried talking to her about it?"

"We are talking about my wife right?" Adam looks at Andres and waits for his reply.

"Right, she doesn't like talking about things. At least personal things." Any thing personal or private she rarely talks about which makes it hard for any of them to know what's wrong when she withdraws from them.

Just then Mike comes up to them, "Are we waiting for something?" Mike is confused he expected them to leave as soon as the women and children left to the house.

"No, just talking to dad about something. Your wolves ready?" Adam says relieved to look away from his father and the uncomfortable talk he'd been having. He and his brothers had already shut down the mental link with Julie, the distraction should she contact them could be deadly.

Once Mike assures Adam that they are ready to go they take off, letting Mike and his wolves to lead the way. Adam knows in theory where the pack is, but Mike knows in reality and knows how to get there the fastest way possible.

Once they reach the Midnight packs lands they separate and go about the plan. Silently and deadly they take out the sentries. Adam wants as many as possible taken prisoner. He finds it hard to believe that entire pack would go dark. He thinks that just the Alpha and some of his lieutenants would be guilty. The rest of the pack would just be following orders. 

He hopes so anyway. He doesn't want to have to condemn an entire pack of wolves to death.

Once the pack realizes that they are there the fight becomes bloody and vicious. 

Adam breaks away from the fight catching the bitter smell of dark magic. He follows the trail to a cave that is on the pack territory. His brothers come at his call. Shortly they are all there and enter the dark cavern.

'They've been here for some time.' Aaron links to his brothers as they look over the items amassed in the cave. 

Adam is gritting his teeth, it is almost ready. He is familiar with the items necessary to call forth a demon and only one item is lacking, the sacrifice.

'Find the witch, any of them, I can smell more than one here.' Adam sends. 

It smells like a fairly decent sized coven to him. How did such a coven come into being so close to him? Black witches are rare but for an entire coven to be black, it's unheard of. But with the things he's seeing there is no doubt, not that their scent leaves any. There is a bitterness that comes with doing black magic and it becomes part of the essence of the practitioner.

The worse part is, once a witch goes black they never come back. Any witches they find will be tried and found guilty of performing black magic and preparing to break the first rule.

The other witches will be the first to condemn the unfortunate females.

He needs to stop thinking like that. They chose the road they've taken. If they are unfortunate it is because they chose to become so, no one can force another to become a black witch. Not even with the second proscription spell.

Just then something causes blinding pain in his arm. Had he not moved it would have hit his heart. Adam doesn't even bother to look at his arm before he takes off after the person that threw whatever it was at him. After that he forces himself to keep his focus. 

Julie will kill him if he dies.

Shortly after that the fighting is done. The witches for the most part are incapacitated, the rest are dead.

Adam has the items photographed and cataloged, but the items themselves are too dangerous to keep. He'll be destroying them as soon as he can. It wouldn't do for any other witch to get a hold of these items. Especially the black spell book. 

With as many that have been destroyed he doesn't understand how there are any more still around. After tonight there will be one less around.

As he and the others take their prisoners to the various cells that are awaiting them he can't wait to get home. This day has been a long one and it still isn't done.

Adam and his family make it back to the estate about sunrise. All they can think about is getting cleaned up, have a nice bit of blood and getting some sleep.

The last thing they expect is to find havoc when they open the doors.

When the children spot who is coming in they stop their running around and run to their fathers. 

The boys have just enough time to set themselves for the rushing horde before they are attacked. The cacophony of their voices talking over each other and even some of them crying made it difficult for anything to be understood.

Adam lets out a piercing whistle making everyone stop talking and look to him.

Too tired to watch his language he asks, "What the hell is going on here?" Only silence answers him back.

Adam focuses on his oldest child, "Jessica, what's going on here? Where's your mother and the staff?"