Artemis winced and pulled away from Mayson, catching her breath. He groaned annoyingly.

"I brought your bags," Tara said incredulously.

"Okay...thanks." She said sheepishly to her friend. She noticed that Caleb was giving her a strange look, a mixture of thoughtful and angry. His hair was loose that morning, barely reaching his shoulders, wavy and shiny. Artemis thought he looked like a Greek God. Had he caught her scent like Mayson had? Was he also convinced that she was his mate? Maybe she should have kissed him... she chased away dangerous thoughts and swallowed.

"Mayson, can I talk to you?" asked Caleb.

"In a few minutes, Brother. Mis and I were discussing important matters."

"Yeah, we saw that," Tara winked at Artemis.

"Mayson..." Caleb called him back.

He huffed. "See you later, sweetheart." He kissed her forehead.

"Will you keep her company?" He asked Tara.

"Sure. If she promises not to jump on me," Mayson laughed. Artemis felt Caleb's gaze on her again, they locked eyes for a few moments; shivers running down both of their spines. The twins left.

"So... you have nothing to say?" Tara put her hands on her hips. She seemed amused by the whole situation.

"I don't know what came over me."

"Mis, you don't have to be embarrassed. Alone with Mayson, on a bed, it's normal what happened," she winked at her again.

"Yeah, because all women want him, you told me a hundred times. I didn't think I was one of them."

"Well, he's handsome, he's sexy as hell, he's a Gamma..." Tara said, counting the advantages with her fingers.

"He's a werewolf," Artemis added.

"Well, sister, so are you," she said with a big smile. Artemis ran to her and hugged her. Tara knew how much it weighed on Artemis that she couldn't shift, how much it had made her life in the pack worse. She had always felt wrong and out of place. "I'm a werewolf..." she whispered.

"Stupid witchy-wolfy," she ruffled her hair. "You were before."

"I need to talk to you about something, but I don't want the Moonrivers to hear us."

"I think they went to the Alpha, they have a lot to talk about." The inn was small, the walls thin, but Tara was sure they had more important things to discuss, they would not eavesdrop on their conversation. The Alpha seemed to have stepped out of a blender, Artemis had unexpectedly turned into a wolf by biting the witches' heads off, Uncle Pete had called back for the official signing and asked for "time to think". And last but not least, Mayson and Artemis were sneaking around. Yes, they would definitely be concentrating on their speeches.

"I remember what happened the day my parents died," she revealed.

Artemis told a shocked Tara everything, except one thing she had understood in her sleep: she hadn't only extracted the memories of that day from Odette, but she even dreamed of grimoires, read them in her dreams. She had heard Odette recite spells, until the voice had become Artemis' own. More and more information about spells and rituals she did not know blossomed in her mind.

Even Tara, like everyone else, had been convinced that it was Uncle Pete and other Lance Rufus loyalists who had killed the witches and saved Artemis that day.

"I heard Daddy Moonriver arguing with him on the phone. The agreement hasn't been signed yet, you didn't even agree to it because of those b**h witches."

"Arguing about what?"

"It seems that Uncle Pete has changed his mind and no longer wants the annexation. He wants to think about it."

"Why?" she said in surprise.

"I have no idea! I wanted to ask him and kick him, but when I went home to get your bags, he wasn't there."

"He's a liar and a coward! They can't leave him in charge of the pack," Artemis stormed out of the room.

"Where are you going?" followed Tara.

They descended the creaky old wooden stairs of the inn and found the entire Moonriver family in the dining room. They had booked the whole inn, and it was at their full disposal for anything. The perks of power. Alpha Jared looked bad, still pale, with huge black circles under his eyes.

Everyone turned when they heard them coming down the stairs.

"Good morning Artemis, how are you feeling?" Luna Astrid asked in a soft voice.

"Fine, thank you," she smiled at her. "I want to join your pack," she said. Mayson broke into a big smile, "but I don't accept all the terms of the agreement." They all looked at her in confusion.

"What do you not accept?" asked Alpha Jared.

"Pete. He doesn't deserve to lead the pack."

"He saved you and raised you. He is an experienced and trusted werewolf," Trevor said.

"I know you've known him for many years, but you shouldn't trust him."

"Why?" asked Caleb.

"I don't know what he told you or what you heard, but he was not the one who saved me as a child. He lied all these years about what he found the day he arrived. As for raising me, well, I would have a list of complaints about that, but now is not the time."

"How do you support all this? Do you have any proof?" the Alpha asked.

Artemis sighed nervously. What the hell was she getting herself into? She was about to accuse Pete without being able to explain how she got the information. Besides, she had the feeling that he knew something about the attack on the Council's night. Tara nudged her back, her eyes clear: "Spit it out!"

"He was your father's best friend," Trevor said, "I would have liked to keep you with us because of my affection for Lance, but he begged me to leave you with him because of a promise he made to your father and because the pack needed the Rufus bloodline to remain united."

Artemis looked at him with her mouth hanging open. "None of this is true!"

"I repeat. Do you have any proof?" the Alpha said, clearly annoyed. Artemis concluded that he had not perceived anything from Odette's mind. Maybe it was a witch thing.

"The pack never wanted me. When my father died, they saw a chance to return to the old Alpha structure, but they were all too stupid and cowardly to challenge each other for power. Then the pack was left without a leader, so many left to join other packs, offering my family's lands in tribute. The witches never attacked us directly because we destroyed ourselves over time, until your arrival and the news of the annexation. Pete took no credit for my salvation; he is not the witch-slaying hero. He kept me, so he could use me as a bargaining chip one day. The first to escape the other night, and I think he knows something about it."

"You still bring me no proof. And besides, we don't have time. We have to leave tomorrow, with or without you," the Alpha said.

The twins clenched their jaws at the same time. Mayson had made it clear to his brother that he would not leave without Artemis. Jared had told him to remember his duties and that he was the Alpha as well as his brother.

"We must return to our territory, the witches may attack our pack while we are gone. We need your signatures on the agreement. We don't have time to make changes, since Brady seems to have disappeared and the other Council members have already fled to their hiding places." Alpha added.

"Well, I think I could find him" asked Artemis.

"With his signature, we could seal the agreement, but make no changes without the Council's approval."

"Any changes could be made later," Caleb suggested. The Alpha nodded.

Artemis felt cornered. She feared that if she confessed that the information had come from the witch, she would be hunted down for treason or who knows what else. The werewolves did not trust her. Maybe you could have talked to Mayson about this... said a distant voice in her head.

"I need a map of the area, salt and candles. I will find him, he will sign, but I don't guarantee that he will walk out of here on his own two feet."