"It turns out she knew I was pregnant. Figure that one out." she scoffs.

She sits on the bed propped up by pillows, fresh sheets on the bed. There is no sign that anything bad happened in this room, no blood, no Melody. Miranda looks beautiful, her long blonde hair curling into tight ringlets, her clothes have been changed to a loose cotton shirt and baggy pants. She looks radiant.

"What did you do with her?"

"Godfrey took her."

"Who helped her break the bonds?" I query.

"No one. She did it herself."

"And Godfrey losing track of her scent?"

"In this murky world, losing track of any scent is a real problem."

"Did you know what I was?" I rub my mark.

"I did." she smiles softly at me.

"There is much that I know about you, but like everything, information has a time and place to be revealed."

"You almost died."

"I was never in danger, Godfrey was here watching over you, me, Finn."

I look down at the bed a little despondent.

"Terrance darling, I feel like a drink, could you get something for Steph and I please?"

He nods and departs the room.

"What's wrong?"

"Alex was cheating on me when it was happening, I tried to call for him but he ignored us." I wipe away the tears. "And bloody Finn is still pursing me."

I didn't want to tell her everything, I didn't know how deep her allegiance was to Alex. She giggles, I look at her a little perplexed.

"Sorry, I was laughing at Finn chasing you, not at Alex cheating." she tries to compose herself. "Never saw you as a furry fucker."

"A what?"

"A furry fucker is someone that likes to have sex with werewolves but is not one themselves."

"So what would Finn be for chasing me?" I grin, curious to this new information.

"A bat banger."

"But we don't turn into bats."

"I didn't make the names up." She shrugs.

"What about shape shifters? Humans?"

"Shuckers as in shifter fuckers and for humans its ape licker."

I laugh, they were certainly interesting names.

"Oh, that's good. I think I needed that laugh."

"Finn is quite a catch but he is not the one for you. You will know the one that you will be with for eternity. His name will come to you without a second thought."

Alex... my mind sings to me.

"The one that comes to my mind, is the one that is betrothed to another, that is a cheater. What would make me want to choose him over someone that is had already devoted himself to me, without even knowing me intimately."

Ok, so not exactly the truth, but I'm not going to tell her about the night of the meeting.

"Maybe you should analyse that a little deeper Steph. I know that for some in this world sex is not the be all and end all, but for werewolves it is. For him to devote himself to you without having sex with you is questionable."

"So are you saying that he has an ulterior motive?"

"I do not know his motives. A werewolf mind is a hard one to read. Even the best can have trouble."

"He told me that he read the mind of Gavril's son."

"Did he now?" she looks shocked. "That was not his place to do so. That information was for council members only."

"Do you think that the girl is alive?"

"I know the girl is alive."

Terrance walks in with glasses of blood.

"Finn told Steph he read Larcon's mind."

I try to hide behind the glass, slowly sipping the sweet red liquid.

"What did he tell you?"

"The back story of the girl and her family, what I am you know, the healer thing, how much he wants to have sex with me."

Terrance laughs.

"Hey Finn's a bat banger."

I roll my eyes trying not to laugh, hoping that I could pretend that I hadn't already had sex with him.

"Steph, he should not have told you because you are not on the council and being a fledgling vampire you will still have trouble locking information in your mind, but what he has told you is nothing detrimental."

"Good. Now what am I going to do about Alex?"

Terrance looks at me with a blank expression.

"After I finished here, you remember I said I was going to find him and leave?"

He nods.

"Well I found him, he was screwing another woman."

"Feeding?"

"Already done with another one, dead on the bed. This one was a vampire, completely about the sex."

He sits on the bed, sighing deeply, they both shoot a look at each other.

"I don't know what to say Steph. I thought he was better than this. I thought he was completely devoted to you. He was prepared to give up his kingdom to have you."

"Should I get plastic surgery and dye my hair?" I scoff.

He crinkles his face at me.

"All blonde, all beautiful, all have enormous breasts, this one looked like she had come off the set of a porno." I cluck my tongue with derision. "Plastic surgery." I hiss under my breath.

"I would hope that you would not do that to yourself."

"Maybe I should take Finn up on his offer. Be a furry fucker."

He gets up from the bed.

"Excuse me ladies, I will be back momentarily."

I watch with confusion as he leaves the room, closing the door behind him.

"Where is he going?"

She shrugs, trying to pretend she doesn't know.

"Come here."

She tugs my hand and places it on her belly, grinning like the Cheshire cat. I know that the child within her is still really small, but I can feel him. And I know it's a boy.

"I saw the child." I grin.

"Really?" she says quite astonished.

I nod.

As I quieten my mind to listen to the baby, I hear something else. Another three-way conversation between Alex, Miranda and Terrance.

You listen to me, if you do not rectify your womanising ways you will lose her.

She is seriously considering pursing Finn. Do you want that?

No.

Well then stop screwing around and be a one-woman man, grow up and act your age.

How much do you stand to lose if she leaves?

Everything.

I look up at Miranda, she smiles at me softly.

"Hear it did you?"

I nod.

"He loves you. He has just never been a one-woman man, it happens to these royalty types, princes that get whatever and whoever they want. Terrance was a handful; he had spent so long being a bachelor that actually committing to me was difficult for him. At least Alex has only had a few years unlike Terrance who had about eighty years' worth of one night stands."

The door opens, Terrance and Alex stand in the doorway.

"I might let you rest, I'll see you in the morning."

She nods.

Be brave Steph, do not give into his ways, if he loves you as he says he does he will give it up for you.

"I'm sorry." he whispers kneeling at my feet, his head buried in my lap.

"Do you understand how I feel when you are with another woman?"

He nods.

"Do you? Really?"

He looks up at me.

"How would you feel if I walked out to that dance floor and found Finn, dragged him up here and screwed him?"

He doesn't answer me.

"Tell me Alex!" I snap at him. "Tell me how you would feel if Finn got what was yours!"

"Angry. Hurt. Betrayed."

"Do I need to screw him so that you will truly understand?"

He shakes his head.

"How did it make you feel at the council meeting when he told you that he had kissed me? That he had marked me?"

"I could feel my blood boiling."

I take his jaw, lifting him up to look me in the eye.

"If I ever catch you cheating on me again, I will have Finn. I promise you that."

His eyes widen in shock.

"I mean it Alex. Eye for an eye. If you don't want a wolf in your territory, marking what is yours then do not piss me off."

I didn't know what I wanted to happen with Finn. I craved another moment with him but there was something about Alex that I could detract from. He was like an unknown, something inside told me to hold hope, he might just be able to rectify his ways. He rubs the mark on my wrist.

"How did I miss this?"

"Watches, bracelets. I always wear them to cover it."

"I would have known instantly." he whispers.

"Known what?"

He hesitates slightly. Moving up from his knees, he makes his way in between my legs, nestling down onto my body.

"I will behave not because of your threat but because I could not continue for an eternity without you."