I leaned against the hatch door, waiting to hear what was going on. There was nothing, and I hated that I was hiding in here like a coward. I was the Alpha. I should be out there dealing with him.

Instead, Konrad was doing it. I feared that this would be the day that I lost him. He'd been trained to take on someone at Midland Peak, but this Alpha was no small boy. Tears slid down my cheeks from the emotional and physical pain. Whenever a contraction hit me, I thought about Konrad missing out on this moment, losing his life instead of welcoming his child into the world.

Would he die, though? He'd become powerful and yet again, I did not have enough faith in his abilities. Pressing my hand to the wall, I closed my eyes and focused on what little energy I had left.

I heard the sounds of a lot of frightened women in one room. This was not good enough.

I was a leader, not a coward. I could not stay in this panic room while everyone else suffered.

"You can do this," I said as I lifted the metal ring.

It sat flush with the floor, but when I lifted it, the ring became a piece of the mechanism to unlock the hatch. Pushing back the heavy piece of wood, I lowered it to the floor as quietly as I could manage. It was the light fitting for the room below. The cut lines for the hole were hidden by a ceiling rose specifically made to hide the truth. A square frame also sat around the ceiling rose and when the two were together, it looked like one large decorative piece. My father, in all his craziness, did have a few good moments.

Looking around the empty room, I listened and heard the Alpha yelling at the women. He wanted to know where I was, and they weren't telling him. Hearing heavy footsteps, I quickly lifted my head back up. The Alpha cursed and tossed a key onto the floor. It bounced across the wooden floor as the heavy boots continued along the corridor.

With the Alpha gone, I lowered into the room and picked up the key. Quietly I crept to the door and listened. I could hear him yelling at someone, but there was no response which made me think that he was on the phone.

Easing myself to the edge of the threshold, I held the key in my shaky hand. When I heard the heavy footsteps going up the stairs, I took the opportunity and ran to the door. Opening the door, I slipped in and closed it.

"Are you mad?" Erin whispered.

"I am the leader. Do you really expect me to sit back and do nothing?"

"You're in labor. He knows it too, and he made it quite clear that he's going to kill the baby."

"Where's Konrad?"

Erin huffed, shaking her head.

"Chained up with a shock collar. If he alters to the wolf, it will kill him."

"Is he biding his time like he did with Colin?"

"Yeah, I think so. He went down way too easily."

There was a hum of agreement from the other women.

"He probably wants the Alpha distracted so that you can give birth without issue."

Erin raised an eyebrow at me before looking at the quivering belly. It was obvious that the labor was progressing exactly as it should. The wolf was howling, incredibly annoyed that I wasn't listening to her.

Something smashed, and Erin looked up as the roar echoed.

"I think he found the hatch."

She turned to the women.

"We need to be wise with our plan. Megan needs to be protected, the baby must be kept away from the Alpha, and Konrad needs the collar removed."

"I'll take the collar off him. The rest of you can keep the Alpha distracted."

When I said to keep him distracted, I didn't mean in their wolf form. But they all changed, and I realized how incredibly smart it was. All these female werewolves running around the building, hiding my scent.

I watched them run out of the room. It was a shock to see them since I'd become Alpha because they were no longer the diminutive werewolves that I'd seen the last time they were this way. A female Alpha clearly changed a lot of things about this pack. They weren't as big as I was or even Konrad, but they were larger than what they used to be.

As they moved out to the main part of the pack house, I slipped into the shadows. Konrad saw me, and I swear it looked like he didn't know whether to be happy, angry or completely livid.

"What are you doing down here?" he hissed.

Carefully I undid the collar and broke it into two pieces. Then I undid the restraints.

"My job as the Alpha of this pack. I am the protector. I am the leader."

"You're also in labor and at so much risk."

Despite his words and his anger, Konrad couldn't help himself. He gripped me by the back of the neck and kissed me hard. I couldn't resist either, embracing the indulgent kiss. It had to be the best kiss we'd ever shared. Needful, passionate, desperate. The danger was real, but the moment could not be put aside.

"Go to the bathroom. He's already checked down there."

"I should be here."

"No, you shouldn't. He's using me as bait to lure you out. The longer you hold out, the more chance we have that he will slip up."

My belly quivered as another contraction began. They were slow at first, building the pain until I crumpled in agony. Konrad gripped my stomach, smiling as he looked down.

"You need to go. I am your Beta. You entrusted this role to me. Let me do my job."

Protect the Alpha's rule. Sometimes it was at the cost of their own life.

"You are not allowed to die."

He nodded, and as I kissed him, I hoped it would not be our last.

Reaching the corridor, I looked back at the room. My pack, my family. Protecting me and our pack. They were all in their werewolf form, ready for the Alpha to walk down the stairs. Konrad had become the wolf, stepping out from his chains.

His body shook as the last of the thick bristling fur emerged. He turned to me and frowned with those glowing golden eyes. Then he turned, expecting me to do as he'd asked. He walked the line of female wolves who were sitting in the central area, blocking the doorway. Reaching the center of the pack, Konrad sat down and joined the waiting wolves.

Heavy footsteps rang loudly overhead. I slipped into the bathroom, shut the door as quietly as I could manage and turned the lock. All the while, I hoped it would be enough. The flimsy door was not a panic room door. It would not withstand an attack.