THE CITY OF NEW LANTERNS

FIREBLOOD PACK

"Ryder, we sent her away and cut off all contact for her safety, we can't contact her, we are still being watched by the council. The best thing we can do for her now is to trust in your aunt and your uncle and have trust in her too." Ava told Ryder comfortingly as she stroked his hair.

"Ava, do you think I failed my family?" Ryder asked her.

"Of course not, why would you think such a thing?"

"Well I was the reason my younger brother ran away from home as a teenager and now my pregnant younger sister is away from home and I don't know where she is and how she is."

"Ryder, you did the best you could do and I am sure Lavender and Lily know that." Ava replied him.

Ryder smiled, Ava always knew how to reassure him anytime he felt this way.

"Thanks for always knowing the right things to say. I love you so much Ava."

"I love you too Ryder." she stood up and pulled him up as well.

"Let's go eat lunch." she told him, he nodded and allowed himself to be pulled away by her.

THREE MONTHS LATER

THE CITY OF NEW LANTERNS

"Lilian, I don't really feel right about this." Aunt Becca (formerly Rebecca) told her.

Lilian (formerly Lily) who was getting dressed paused and looked at her.

"Come on Aunt, we need money to survive. This job is perfect and I am lucky to have been able to get it." Lily replied.

"But we have a lot of money, you don't need to work." her aunt protested.

"I know but remember we have to fit in. People would get suspicious about our source of income if none of us are working. And when they get suspicious they start digging into our life and you don't want that, do you?" Lilian asked her.

"I don't." her aunt said resignedly.

Lilian smiled and kissed on her cheek.

"I will be fine aunt, don't worry about me." she told her.

"You have to be careful dear, if you should meet any werewolf, do you remember what to say?" her aunt asked.

"Tell them I am an orphan being raised by my human relatives and I am not affiliated to any pack." Lilian replied.

"Good girl. Be careful."

"I will, take care of yourself and Lavender." Lilian said as she glanced in the direction of the cot where her little angel was currently sleeping.

"I will take care of him, you don't have to worry about that."

"Ok, bye uncle. Take care of yourself" Lilian told her uncle.

"I will love, have a nice day."

Lilian went to the cot and bent down to kiss her baby's forehead.

"Bye, my angel. Mummy will be back soon." she told him.

She waved them goodbye and left the house.

Her Aunt kept looking at the door with a worried expression on her face.

"Why so worried? She will be fine." her husband told her.

"I can't help but worry Daniel, I don't want anything to happen to her. If it were up to me, she wouldn't leave the house at all."

"And that's exactly why she decided to work, she is tired of being cooped up in the house."

"But what if harm befalls her?" Becca still worried.

Daniel stood up and walked over to her, he took her hands in his.

"She will be fine, we went far away from anyone who could recognize her. She will be okay. Now stop being a worry wart and come watch TV with me." he pulled her to the sofa to sit with him.

ROMANO CONSORTIUM

Lilian looked up at the majestic company, she had seen an advertisement for the post of a cleaner and she had applied and gotten the job.

In the past, she would never have considered being a cleaner, but times had changed now. Now, she wasn't a stuck up spoiled princess.

Although, she knew that her aunt had enough money to keep them comfortable for the rest of their lives, she still wanted to work.

She needed something to occupy her and stop her from thinking so much.

Lilian took a deep breath and entered the building.

She headed to HR where she was given her uniform and equipment for cleaning.

A supervisor showed her where she would be cleaning.

And so she started her new job. If anyone from her past were to see her now, they would be shocked to see Lily, the pampered sister of Alpha Ryder of Fireblood pack and the pampered wife of Alpha Jax of Creekwood pack doing such a menial job.

The work was hard and strenuous to Lilian but she soon got used to it. After a long day at work, the smile of little Lavender was able to dispel her tiredness and make her feel better.

With time, she adjusted to her new life and even started to make friends at work.

Lilian was satisfied with her new life and hoped things continued smoothly for her. But she has no idea that her peaceful life she had carved out for herself and her little family was about to be disrupted.

CREEKWOOD PACK

While Lilian was enjoying her peaceful life in the city of New Lanterns, Alpha Jax wasn't enjoying his in Creekwood pack.

While he was working so hard to get his pack running, the werewolf council wasn't making it easy for him at all.

They kept showing up to 'check on him' as they liked to term it. Whenever they came, it was to intimidate and insult him knowing fully well that he would be unable to retort.

Dean hated the council and would have given them a piece of his mind a long time ago if not for Jax who had ordered him to exercise restraint.

Now as he glanced at them today, it took all of his self control not to snap, because he knew that they were waiting for that so they could pin something against him.

"Now, Alpha Jax before we leave, we need to know your plans for the future." one of the members told him.

"Plans?" Jax echoed.

"Yes, plans. When are you getting a new mate?"

"What!" Jax exclaimed in shock.