Next morning at breakfast, I saw through amused smiles and whispers how everyone knew what I'd done last night. However, I didn't know to what extent anyone knew what had, or more importantly hadn't, happened between me and Torak in his bedroom.

How embarrassing.

"Want a doughnut, Zara?" Raina teased. She elbowed me in the ribs and nodded at the pile of doughnuts I normally tore into.

"Never again," I replied with a scowl, reached for the eggs, put a large pile on a plate, and sprinkled cheese on. "Not from this territory, at least."

"I heard their chickens eat pot and LSD leaves," Cole couldn't help himself either as he pointed to my plate of eggs.

"Seriously, you too?" I glared at him. "Where's Elena?"

"She's not feeling so well." His tone grew subdued and an unfamiliar emotion flickered in his eyes. With Cole, every emotion was unfamiliar. "I'm going to bring her some plain toast for breakfast."

"Is she sick?" I remembered how terrible she looked last night.

She refused the doughnuts though, so couldn't be that.

"Tired," was all he'd reply. He pressed his mouth into a firm line, trying to shut down this conversation but I couldn't let the subject drop.

"Sure." The corners of my lips curled up. "Because reading books takes a lot of energy."

"She's not as good at fighting rogues off as others, Princess. Although I'm so glad all your training paid off in doing practically nothing last night except letting Torak carry you off like a tripped out damsel in distress," he tossed back with a smirk.

Narrowing my eyes, I glared at the back of his head as he left the kitchen with a plate of plain toasted bread. My eyes softened when I realized it was for Elena. Despite teasing me, I was touched by his sweet gesture.

Maybe someday my mate will bring me breakfast in bed.

I sighed at that thought, until I realized that I thought it in reference to Cole. My wistful thinking vanished.

As I pushed those thoughts aside, Raina and I carried our breakfast plates to a table. She gave me a scrutinous look as we sat down next to each other. Her dark hair was pulled back into a braid as usual. Today's version trailed to the side and over her right shoulder.

"What?" I grunted at her extra attentiveness this morning.

"Checking your pupils for dilation," she replied. "You seem to be more clear-headed."

"Yeah," I admitted. My fingers reached for a napkin, spread the cloth across my lap, and dug into my eggs. "Small headache. I have good news though."

"We could use some good news." She sighed.

"I think Lumi's back." My cheeks pinched with how wide I grinned.

Lumi didn't share my level of excitement, because she snuffed at me.

"Back as in, normal?" Raina raised an eyebrow as she nursed her coffee cup. "For you two, I mean. How did it happen?"

"Umm..." My cheeks paled, like the blood drained out of them and my bite of eggs turned into sawdust on my tongue. "I was, umm... Torak brought her out."

Raina's dark eyes bored into me for a few seconds, although the exchange felt like she stared at me for years. She wet her lips with the tip of her tongue. "I don't want to know."

"What happened to you last night?" I desperately wanted a change of subject, gouging my fork at my abandoned eggs. "One minute you were walking with us, then poof, gone."

"I was looking at the weapons tent when the rogues attacked." Her shoulders lifted. Setting down her mug, she picked up her fork and started eating. "Oddly convenient, given the circumstances."

"How many rogues were there?" I looked down at my eggs and poked them again. They looked delicious, despite not being my now previously-favorite-but-ruined-by-last-night's-experience chocolate doughnuts.

"Not as many as the number that attacked your father's convoy in our territory," she replied before she took a few sips of coffee. "Seven by my count but they fought similarly. Stealthy and organized."

I dropped my fork with a clatter. "Was the rogue captured in your territory one of them?"

"Not that I saw." She leaned in and dropped her voice to a whisper, "But it was pretty chaotic. These Eastern wolves aren't much warriors. You screaming and running around in your underwear didn't help."

"Did anyone get -" I started to ask when she shook her head.

"No casualties but a few injured," she replied. "The rogues were looking for something. Or someone."

"Did they find it?" As I stared at her with wide eyes. "Or them?"

"Yeah." She looked at me with sadness in her dark eyes. "Rose."

"Oh no," I gasped, clamped both hands over my mouth. "Is she -"

"She's fine." A soft voice assured me from above. I looked up and saw Rose standing next to Idris, her hand clasped inside his.

"Thanks to my Northern friends." She smiled at Raina then her mate.

Idris' other hand reached up and rubbed her shoulder, where I caught the flash of red marks on his knuckles. His smile remained on his mouth as his dark brown eyes filled with the same concern reflected in Raina's.

"Why would they want you?" I looked at Rose.

She was the nicest, sweetest person here and couldn't hurt a fly even if she'd tried.

If she found a hurt fly then I'm sure she'd tape its wings then nurse the fly back to health.

"Healers are highly valued by rogues." She took the seat next to Raina while Idris slipped into the chair on my other side. "They don't have access to hospitals and infirmary resources like packs. They took a bunch of our supplies and vaccines, among other things."

"Are you okay?" My eyes scanned her physical appearance. With the exception of a few scratches on her forearm, she seemed unmarked.

"Like I said..." She held Idris' hand in both of hers, a gesture that prompted his smile to widen. "I was well protected."

"We didn't capture any." Raina sighed, clutched her coffee cup, and sipped the rest of it empty. "But we did enough damage to chase them off."

"What about River?" I wondered how their other pack healer was doing.

"She..." Rose's tender face fell and tears sparkled in her eyes. "...Wasn't as fortunate."

"They took her!?" I barked out, earning me a Raina gesture to keep my voice down.

"Yes," she whispered. "Alpha Stephan organized and sent out a search party last night. Apparently, he had the right wolves in the right positions to go after them."

That must be what Torak meant by 'once more important things are settled.

"I'll be right back." Rose stood up, pushing back her chair. "He mindlinked me. They're back. She's okay, but you all stay here."

"Rose..." Idris looked at her with an expression so full of pain and anxiety I thought his arm was chopped off when she released his hand.

"I'll be fine," she assured him, leaned over, and placed a sweet kiss on his lips. I turned my face away for privacy, cupping a hand over the smile pulling on my lips.

"Tell River I hope she's okay." I squeezed Rose's arm as she brushed past me. She nodded and hurried out of the kitchen.

"Idris." Raina turned to him. "I don't like what's going on here."

"Me either," he admitted, his mouth half full of food. With one reach, he scooped Rose's abandoned plate onto his.

"The rogues?" My eyes shifted between the two of them.

"No," Raina answered. "I mean yes, kidnappings are a concern of course, but Idris and I... are..."

"Are what?" I pressed, leaning in closer and inspecting both. Neither one wore more than a scratch.

"We're a bit cut off from our pack," she explained. My heart softened a bit at the assumption that this meant that they planned to go back and reconnect with the Northern Territory.

"I mean," she added and shifted her index finger between her and Idris. "Our mindlink is strong. I don't know if it's the distance but our pack link is weakening. I can only hear Lucus and my parents now. Idris can hear his father."

"I'm sorry." I sat back in my chair. "What... does it mean?"

"We don't know," was her sad reply. "But a shift is happening. We can feel something, and it's not good."

After breakfast, Raina and I held our normal fighting practice. Today Idris insisted that Rose also participated. For once, I felt relieved not to be the weakest wolf, not that Rose training helped my position. Raina said Lumi was too unstable and she refused to let me fight anyone but her.

Lumi didn't seem to mind, she preferred fighting against Raina's wolf Mist. The wolf sabbatical must have done some good because she pinned Mist in the majority of the matches.

"You're getting better," Raina admitted as we sat down in the grass-trodden practice field and panted into water bottles.

"I owe you all the credit." I smiled in between ragged breaths. "But thank you."

"You're starting to max out on what I can teach you wolf-style." Raising her eyebrows, she gave me a look like she was impressed by my progress. "But we could always switch over to weapons."

"Like swords?" I looked at her with wide eager eyes at the mental image as I wielded a badass sword and broad shield.

"Only if you want to be shot to death while swinging a sword around." She snorted. "Try guns."

My eyes stretched open even wide and I squealed. "I already know how to shoot, my father insisted. He had a range inside the mansion where he... I mean, I used to live," I rushed, trying to cover up how I almost said 'he kept me prisoner.'

"I can assemble and disassemble mags too," I added with a smile.

"Really?" Her eyes widened and her thin lips parted. "You're going to enjoy the trip West then. They have the most advanced weapons and purest silver from the mines."

"So does that mean you're coming?" She nodded, so I looked over at Idris, who hesitated.

"Not sure yet." He threaded his fingers through his dark hair. "I'd like to but I'm staying with Rose. I don't know if Alpha Stephan and Luna Rashida would let her go."

I grinned at him. "Lucky for you, I've got an appointment to work in his office in less than an hour."

Somehow, he didn't look very impressed with my negotiation skills. Given my history, I didn't blame him.

"Absolutely not," Alpha Stephan spewed his words at me over a handful of reports on his desk. "No."

"But Alpha Stephan -" I started the speech I prepared during my shower after practice and on the walk over to his office. In my mind, where the persuasive words flowed effortlessly, he had no reason to refuse Rose going with us to the West.

Unfortunately, his mind wasn't interested in what my mind cooked up.

"Out of the question, it's ridiculous," he said in a flat, uninterested tone. "Your little traveling caravan is nothing but a rogue magnet. It's too dangerous."

"The rogues last night weren't here for me," I reminded him in a small but calm voice.

Internally, my heart hammered against my chest walls as I tried to argue with the pack's alpha to let his daughter travel to the other side of this country with us.

"Besides," I added. "Cole, Raina, and Idris can protect her, as you've seen."

"Rose is in training to be a healer." How he switched his approach led me to believe I gained some ground in the argument, which steadied my shoulders. "She belongs in the infirmary."

"And learning about the most advanced weapons will help in learning how to treat the resulting wounds, and try out working in the Western territory's infirmary?"

"Bit of a stretch, even for you, Miss Zara." A grim smile tugged up the corners of his mouth. "Wounds are wounds, no matter how they got there."

"Is it customary for a female to switch to the male's pack?" I meant the question to be sincere, not baiting Alpha Stephan.

"Always for a Luna," he answered but set down his report. His eyes peered at me, blurry through his reading glasses. "It's ultimately the couple's decision. Most often the male's pack is chosen when mates are from different packs but every selection is subject to approval from both of their alpha's."

"So..." My lower lip rolled under and I bit it as his eyebrows raised. "Can I ask what Rose and Idris are going to do?"

I leaned forward in my seat, cupping my chin in my palms and trying to project as much innocence as possible. "I know it doesn't seem like my business but I'm curious if one of my traveling companions isn't coming with us."

Alpha Stephan's expression went blank, then his eyes flickered and he clenched his jaw. I tried not to smile when he stroked his beard in thought, then admitted, "I'm sure they'll inform us of their plans soon."

"We have four more days," I reminded him. A pit of tension formed in my chest, so I cleared my throat and pointed to his computer screen. "Is everything okay with what I did?"

"I don't have a damned idea what those spreadsheets are doing." His large, gnarled hand fisted his beard as his eyes traveled to my latest iteration. "But Valko and Sebastian are obsessed with them, so thank you."

"No problem," I smiled despite already knowing this.

After I made the spreadsheets for rotating security assignments, I made similar ones for structuring worker shifts in the greenhouse, library, kitchen, and housekeeping staff.

Being internet self-taught in something finally paid off.

My worst critic offered her opinion.

'Not impressed.'

You're just jealous that you don't have opposable thumbs, Lumi.

Every snarky comment of hers made me realize how much I missed her. My headspace felt nice and crowded again.

"I'm still not letting you take my daughter away." Alpha Stephan gave me a strange look, all frowning eyebrows and pressed lips like I proposed robbing his family. "But I relieve you of your assistance here. Thank you."

"You're welcome." I offered a smile, my chest tightening.

While he exuded the sense of confidence that seemed an alpha requirement, his laid-back approach was more quiet and management-driven than violent or forceful. He was interesting to observe over the past two weeks.

"Although..." My lips curled up. "I probably never want to see another chocolate donut again."

His eyes took a darker cast over them as he dipped his beard down, peering at me over his glasses. "I assure you that at least no one will ever see that batch again and their license has been suspended."

"Oh..." I dropped my teasing tones at the idea I cost someone their employment. "Thank you, Alpha Stephan."

"I hope you enjoy the rest of your stay," he offered, kind sincerity warming his eyes. "I know the trip hasn't gone as planned but my family enjoyed having you here. I haven't seen the calmer, grounded side of Torak in years. You and your like will always be welcome."

"Th-thanks," I stumbled over the words as a lump enclosed the back of my throat. 

He used similar words to Alpha Faelon's, with a lighter tone, but the implications and subsequent effect sent my heartbeat into overdrive. My pulse thundered in my ears.

Family. Not my family.

Home. Again, theirs not mine.

While I felt welcome here, the vibe between me and the Eastern pack was... off. On my side, I felt a disconnect between us. Initially, I wasn't sure if the rift was the air of indignation from the library geniuses or the lax recreational herbal drug use environment.

The more I thought, the more apparent it became that these were superficial issues.

I left Alpha Stephan's office with the hollow pit in my chest at the realization that this pack was warm, nurturing, and welcoming but would always act within their own self-interest first. And while I understood that approach should guide every pack, I knew deep down that the Eastern territory pack's interests didn't involve me.

Before I shut the door, he added, "I will pass along a positive message to your father. We've all been very impressed by your charms, Miss Zara."

Any and all words froze in the back of my throat and rendered me speechless.

My father.

My sentiments surrounding those words had also changed. One emotion twisted and coiled up inside me. With a tight grip, my fingers wrenched the door handle closed.

The thought of the man who controlled me, physically manipulated me and Lumi, had me beaten down to nothing, then abandoned me rose more than bile up the back of my throat.

As Lumi paced in my mind, her tail twitched. For the time since she retreated at the possibility her development might be impaired, we were in total synchronization. I felt as her pain, fear, and insecurities wrapped themselves around a single shared emotion, radiated from every hair on her being, then intertwined with my own.

'Angry.'