Konrad followed me out of the restaurant. It wasn't until I reached the main section of the hotel that I stopped, and he reached my side. Ahead of us was the Alpha for the Blood Moon pack.

He saw us and looked like he had a lot to say. I didn't want any part of it. Not a conversation, not even an apology.

The problem Konrad and I faced was that the bulky figure was at the end of the corridor that led into the lobby. We had no other option, and somehow, we would have to get past him and not have it turn into something dire.

"There is something that I have neglected to tell you."

I frowned, facing Konrad.

"I wasn't sure what to do with the information, and I wasn't sure if you would be interested. We got the dead wolf notice for Brian and his family. How far did you send it?"

"As far as here. All of the southeast wolf packs."

"Did you see James at the fight?"

I nodded, glancing at the Alpha, who was pretending that he wasn't watching us.

"They were accepted into Blood Moon. My Beta checked the timing, and their application to enter the pack was accepted after the dead wolf notice was sent. Did you get an acknowledgment from Blood Moon?"

"Yeah," I said with a heavy sigh.

Which just made it more complicated. If Blood Moon hadn't accepted the dead wolf notice, nothing would happen. They had sent the acknowledgment, which meant that they agreed to the terms of that notice. By the wolf code, they should have refused the application.

"And just so you're aware, us snooping caused the government to take notice."

"They know that Blood Moon broke the code?"

Konrad reluctantly nodded.

"Well, it looks like we're both screwed. Ready?"

"I have spent the past year constantly looking over my shoulder, so yeah, I'm ready."

Together we walked through what remained of the corridor. The Alpha turned and looked at us, then stepped back to let us pass. I thought that we were free. It was foolish, of course.

"You interfered, little boy."

Konrad stopped. I faced him and saw the anxiety.

It was understandable. The Alpha for the Blood Moon pack was twice his size. The guy was a monster.

Turning, I tried to be nice, but like always, I brought out the sarcastic Megan. Must be something in the Nolan blood because Stephen had moments where he could be an ass too.

"You acknowledged the dead wolf notice from my pack. What does that mean to the government and their wolf code?"

"This doesn't concern you, woman. Go back to your pathetic pack."

"It does concern me. My pack sent the dead wolf notice, and your pack acknowledged it. You broke the rules when you accepted the pack entrance application, and now you're trying to lay blame on someone else when you should look in the mirror."

The problem was that it was guaranteed that if Konrad's pack hadn't been asking questions, the government probably wouldn't have noticed. It was common for them to accept forms, file them, and not cross-match to other forms or wolf packs. The notice, acknowledgment, and acceptance would have been lost or forgotten in a room full of cabinets. Now that they knew, the government would conduct an investigation, and the results would likely be harsh. The worst that Blood Moon faced was banishment. The best result would be a heavy fine. Either way, it would lower their ranking and no one would want anything to do with their pack.

The Alpha growled as he looked at me, and as it echoed through the corridor, I watched his features change. He was letting the wolf take control, and it was not a good situation.

Konrad stood between us, preparing to take any blows that came our way. The Blood Moon Alpha became the wolf, and his size increased. I wasn't tilting my head back, but if I did, it wouldn't appear excessive or over-dramatizing the situation.

The Alpha let out a roar that rattled the windows. Hotel security appeared with tranquilizer guns. They were ready, aimed at the wolf as the demands to revert to his shifted state were called out by the lead negotiator.

When the Alpha took a step towards us, the security staff started to shoot the tranquilizers. One pulled us behind the ring, ushering us out of the way. They kept firing at the beast that would not stop advancing.

By the time he finally dropped, the beast's body was littered with little metal darts. His eyes were open, staring across the tiled floor.

The guards began discussing what to do with the Alpha. He'd broken hotel rules, government laws, and probably parts of the fair ethics code. It wasn't their only issue. Aside from what to do with him and where to send him, they had to figure out how they were actually going to lift him. The beast really was a monster in size.

They huddled in for their discussion as Konrad hugged me. In the tight embrace, I could feel his body loosen. He was ready to unleash the wolf to protect me, and the relief from a pain-free ending lifted the weight from his body.

My eyes closed for the briefest of moments as I enjoyed the hug. When I opened them, I saw the Alpha's eye shift to look at us. A claw twitched, and in a blur of movement, he was on his feet again. Shaking off the darts, the Alpha moved with speed.

The wolf took over, and even though we both knew the risks, I let her take control. She was stronger and clearly wanted this. The wolf was not really giving me much of a choice.

The Alpha lifted his arm to swipe at me, but before he could connect, Konrad pushed me out of the way. I expected him to change to the wolf, but he didn't. One swipe that could have easily been fatal and Konrad was on the ground.

The wolf stepped forward to protect Konrad. Standing over his body, she growled at the Alpha, who had returned to his hind legs to pace the floor. The guards were firing the tranquilizers again though I don't know why they bothered. If the dozens they'd landed previously hadn't worked, then clearly more won't affect him either.

Still, they kept going. I soon realized that they were actually herding him down the corridor. The doors to the rear of the building and all the areas it contained had been shut. Something metal poked out from one wall, and as it quietly emerged, I realized that it was a cell door. When the Alpha was in the right place, the door slid across the floor with speed, slamming into the other wall. One of the guards pressed a button, and a buzzing sound echoed.

Another turned to face us.

"You can shift back now. He's in the cage, and it's fully electrified."

Through the wolf's eyes, I looked down at Konrad. He was passed out with a large swipe across his stomach. Blood coated the tiles.

The guard stepped forward, and the wolf growled.

"Please, he needs to be repaired."

Joey skidded on the tiles as he appeared, Alec racing in behind him. They rushed over, stunned when the wolf growled at them.

"Megan honey, let them take Konrad. They want to fix him, but they can't do that if you're stopping them."

I tried to reason with the wolf, but she wouldn'tlisten. She saw Konrad as her mate and was doing everything she could toprotect him.