A week ticks by, and I'm tearing up the attic space when I'm not reviewing files—of course, this is with an army of pups. We were treating it as a treasure hunt since there was so much stored that was still usable with a little work. None of the old pack rooms were designed to suit the needs of this generation. A couple of their mothers dropped by to help, which meant even younger pups for the Omegas to tease Aldane with—who was taking it good-naturedly. What male wouldn't? The Luna of Lunas picked out traits that suited child-rearing, even in her males.

Too many people in and out had Rocky and Apollo spitting nails over the lack of a lockdown around me at all times. Nathaniel was often in the building, save when he was called out to deal with very short visits. That and Hugh had sprained his ankle during training, so he decided to take up a corner of the attic for himself as it healed. He's not someone to mess with when he's in pain, so it was an extra unassigned guard that was smarting off to Daffyd.

Scraps and odd pieces that made no sense to keep other than my crafting went into bins. I had the kids recording their changes—so I could teach them how to edit videos. Those that want their own channels, or to use some of the newer sites coming out would know how to make content by the time I was done with them.

It was only 3 months until Tiktok debuted.

~~~

One of those in-between moments had me eating lunch by myself in Nathaniel's office, minding my own business. I think he was researching into whatever made some of our current enemies act the way they do—fieldwork, possibly interrogation. My guards were up in the attic, still, under the assumption that Nate had me. Several guys were running up and down the stairs, so it wasn't like I was completely alone.

I'd like to say it was the tinkling of broken glass that caught my attention, but it wasn't.

No, it was the big cat that knocked my chair over which got me out of my little world. Damn thing was heavier than Nathaniel and was fixing to try to gnaw on my skull, as I haven't moved—shell-shocked. It shrieked right as it landed on me. Scared the snot out of me.

I was still trying to process what the heck was happening when it bit down on my head.

I could hear me shrieking in agony...

But the pain wasn't there.

My own private wolf-man had made it back home and was on his way to the office when the cat broke through the window. He had yanked it off me, throwing it across the room before it bit down.

And he turned to face the mountain lion, shifting as he straddled my entangled legs.

I had never asked to see him shift. I know, most girls want to adore their mate's wolf and brag about how beautiful they are. Maybe if they're kinky they'll think about making fur-babies.

I don't know why I never asked, but this was not the way I wanted this done. His pants shredded like tissue, boxers, too, and I got to watch him transform from man to monster ass end first.

Look, a guy's balls are a wrinkly mess, not attractive. It goes from mostly bare human nuts to something you put on your car's mirror to scare granny. This firm human ass shrivels down to the lean bony doggie butt with a strapping otter tail that could leave permanent damage if a beating commenced.

I think I'm scarred for life. This must be what men feel like when they watch their babies and the afterbirth drop out of the hole they like to plug. It's going to take me a while before I ever grope his ass again.

Nathaniel's front paws were leaning on the desk when he finished shifting. He shot over the top of this like a beastial Parkour master to latch into a battle to the death with Mr. Kitty.

In the normal course of things, a fight between a wolf and mountain lion would see the lion win every time. 1 on 1, a cat is a better predator.

But a werewolf isn't quite a dog. They look a ton alike since they fill the same niche in the food chain: pack-hunting predators. It's why lions don't have retractable claws.

A werewolf is as flexible as a cat—if not more. While a were won't usually retract his claws in Canid form, shifting back and forth is a form of claw retraction. If the human side can wolf out, the wolf side can human out, so these wolves grab better than Felids.

Of course, I was missing the fight. I began untangling my legs from the chair that had protected me from the worst of the attack and dragged myself upright just in time. My mate face-lunged forward the way that most Canids do. That snarl isn't a sound, but more a curled lip before jabbing the muzzle forward for the kill.

I turned my face away, knowing what was happening. The crunch was audible. I know I caught the perfect moment in the fight between them, but the visual in my mind was more akin to 2 lovers embracing for it to end like...that.

The entirety of it was something I couldn't unsee. I know from experience, now, that the mind can overcome anything, but then I was just a soon-to-be-mum scarred for life.

I didn't even get time to process more than that thought when Nathaniel plunked his big wolfy head against the nape of my neck. I could feel him shaking against my skin. Belatedly, I realized that my trust in him failed me. It left me blind. I should have been worried about how hard this fight was for him. Had he fully shifted more than this time and his first? Surely, it had to hurt.

I began pulling my thoughts forward, to meet with his. It was like hitting a wall of chaos—his brain scattered to the 4 corners of the world. For the first time, I met with 2 distinct minds, and neither one of them knew what they wanted.

Found out that fear wasn't the motivation for his reaction—not at the point I had a hold of him, at least. Adrenaline, the sheer pain of shifting, rage, and worry is what was skittering around. The wolf side of him was certain the baby was ok. The man? Not so much. I took a pretty hard tumble—encased like a child in a car seat. Whoever bought that office chair had werewolf attacks in mind. The thing didn't shatter on impact and I came out of it no worse for the wear—a couple of scratches, really.

I'm ok, calm down and contact others.

I thought the mental chaos was bad with what happened in the office.

Turns out Nathaniel blocked out everyone to guard me during the heat of the moment.

Jude's mate disappeared from right out of the garden.

Jude snagged a Senior who graduated halfway through the year, so she'd been stuck at the pack house waiting for all of us to get out of school for a couple of months, now. May is the only one who messes with the strip of land out back that can't produce more than a rock garden—or didn't until her. She had an obsession with pod and desert gardening. I helped her rig the drip-water system, much like is used in Israel today. Other than that, I don't know her—and we should have been bonding.

Should have. Everything is a damn should have with me.

Unfortunately, she's the one that looks the most like me. Oh, her nose is softer, eyes brighter, and hair is definitely more red than mine ever was. Even crazier, she's carrying twins in a 5-month pregnancy, so she's due a couple of months after me. I wish I looked half as happy as she does, though. It didn't take me but a second to figure out what was going on.

Of course, my lovely wolf was relaying directions faster than I could keep up with—again, a severe lack of practice. I had to back out, it was too much, even if I was just getting Nathaniel's side of things. (Never initiated in, remember? The link bends to pack will. I'm quite sure the younger ones could reach me, in a pinch, but then, they accepted me since the day Stephen shifted.) Something like this? It's partials and echoes, running at the speed of thought.

It's enough to make me nauseous.

Behind that, my wolf was shifting to a very naked man without moving away from me. So not the time, too much death to think about smut. Or all his bones and muscles twisting against me, just ick. But I can say I don't ever remember another time where I've had him naked and neither one of us was thinking about sex. So, we did get over acting like scared kids in a fight, eventually.

The first thing out of my mouth was. "I hope you're looking into the slavers—she looks too much like me for this to be about her."

Kind of arrogant if it wasn't for the situation. We were pressing closer to taking on that stone, and who the hell knew how that would work out. We still haven't figured out why there's such a fight over me.

Nathan was cursing, damn near tripping over his own feet, trying to get into an extra set of clothes he had right there in the office. Apparently, he thought about being forced to shift from his own desk. Smart of him.

He barely has his shorts on when he leans forward and grabs my face to kiss my forehead. "I've got to go."

And with that, he was gone.

You have no clue how fucking disorienting that is.

If he had been human, I'd have had someone to hold me after a traumatic experience.

It's taken me until my time in that cell to figure out that I freak out more after everything is said and done. Actually, it's probably the result of that imprisonment. I was left alone with my thoughts and no hope, and these things, where everything is uncertain, puts me back in that hell. My legs gave out and I plopped down on one of the ottomans. I had myself a long cry before I wandered off to find out what to do with a dead puma and broken glass.

If this had been a 1st floor room, I doubt he would have left me alone. Well, he didn't really do that anyway. Chewy was waiting outside the door, giving me privacy. He called up a couple of Omegas, Billie amongst them.

I had to know 1 thing. "What's going to be done with the cat?"

The older woman snorted before hefting the thing up over her shoulder—all 200 plus lbs of floppy dead animal. The other two went straight for the glass, ignoring my question—hoping it wasn't directed at them. Got to understand that questions mean more work, so I don't blame them. We can't be close as long as there were still Omegas.

It sucks being a weaker being and having those stronger than you act as if they fear the consequences of crossing you. They don't answer for shit because you can't force them. True, it's Nate they're crossing, not really me. It just shows one more area I have to work on because they don't feel they can.

Chewy was the one who spoke up. "Tradition doesn't let flesh go to waste, and we have several dozen males out there doing God knows what. The mass burned from shifting is a very heavy burden that taxes the body, and it might be done a dozen times tonight. Billie is about to go do the rough butcher and cooking required to make that all palatable..."

He must have noticed how green I was because he quit speaking.

"Just tell me I won't have to eat it."

"Won't and likely never if you do not become a wolf, Luna."

Today was a gamut of forced disorientation. Of course, it was the stray thought of Would they eat their own people? that nearly made me faint. Jesus had to take me by the arm to keep me upright long enough for Billie to pass me. Afterward, he had me back on the ottoman curled into him. Forcing my head between my knees to keep me from fainting wasn't going to work with this baby belly.

In most cases no, but as a means of survival, compulsion would force them to. Donner Party rules.

Unfortunately, I had to head dinner for the younger wolves and anyone not in on this manhunt. Let the young teens eat their meals, and shooed them off to bed. The Omegas started a round of naps while Billie and I sat up to watch the hours drag on. That meant Chuy as well, but he's directly guarding me, like he can go to sleep.

"So, young man, why weren't you out with the rest of them youngins?" Questions were better than Billie nattering on about exactly how the carcass was prepared.

I desperately didn't want to think about eating Mr. Kitty. I shouldn't have named him, even in my head as a joke. It made it all the worse to endure.

"Groin pull." His smirk was more of a leer at the older woman, as he checked her over. "Spent too long on a lover last night. Pretty much healedas now, but would have been made worse playing tracker to God knows where..."

She gave him a more dead stare than she normally gave me for my antics, which only made his smile wider.

"Wait, with who?" That question startled even me, although it came out of my mouth. I was expecting myself to call him a damned ho. Last time I did that, he about fell out his chair laughing at me.

He shrugged, turning more towards me—and serious. "Some woman I picked up for casual interrogation by your mate's request."

"Did you talk about the garden?"

"Only to say a couple of people worked on it after she mentioned seeing the video up on your feed."

There had been a video. I forgot about it, as it wasn't detailed enough that you could figure out where it was. At least I did my best. I am careful about location markers and people. I also like doing mine in the attic more, as it's blocked off from the outside world.

Obviously, I messed up somewhere along the way.

"Shit, dude. They were looking to see if there was any way to get us off on our own. That was a big mistake. Just like lying and saying most of us did that together would cause another set of problems. The cat was a distraction because the higher odds of success were out in the garden, but if it was thought that no one was going to check up on me—and it was waiting in that tree out there, to break the window..."

"There's no way they could have sent a cat, Luna." That slight bow and title Jesus gave me is still taking some time to get used to, but it was so fluid a move on him.

Ah, the respect dropped at the end of dissent to prevent a fight, if possible. I almost smiled because the behavior did amuse me after all these months. "Not the woman, the things manipulating everything. The human would already know how often Chana May was alone to have this pulled off today. It would be planned before your conversation. The only thing we could have done on our end is be paranoid about every little thing she brought up..."

That had Chuy cursing and stumbling out of the room. Some weres like alone time when they are trying to contact each other over great distances. Technically speaking, you could reach someone you are close to half a world away, but it takes skills we've not learned. If someone isn't listening for you, they may just mistake your attempted connection for something else. Not that I know what else it would be.

Nathan would be listening for those he left behind with me.

I just hope we figured out enough on our end to be of any real help.