The Gammas, the shamans of the pack, started talking excitedly over each other upon learning that their Alpha's mate was Selene. The Crescent Moon has all-female gammas, and they were famous in the werewolf world because of it. At that moment though, Tristan felt no pride about the fact whatsoever, as they continued to celebrate the news. He slammed his fists on the table. "You don't seem to be getting the point. We did not consult with you to give you joyous news. My mate is dying. I wanted your thoughts on how we can prevent her transformation from happening, not to celebrate it." The gammas turned to their leader, a serene-looking woman in her seventies, but she did not speak and only continued to silently observe the chaotic exchange before her."With all due respect, Alpha-" One of the elderly gammas on the table piped up. "Don't talk to me about respect." Tristan snarled. "You're asking me to just give my mate up to the moon." 

Francesca dreamed, and for the first time, it was a good one. A baby and a girl with a blue ribbon in her hair playing by the creek. She had no idea what the dream meant, but she rejoiced. Maybe it was a dream about her future with Tristan, just like how her mate dreamed of her all those years ago. It was quite bold of her subconscious, to think of having children with Tristan when there was an uncertain future in front of them. But if the moon goddess had a hand in her dreams, maybe this was also a message from her. She might be telling Francesca that it was going to be a happy ending for her and her mate, that the moon goddess was giving them her blessing to marry. Maybe it was that one sliver of hope that made her get out of bed early in the morning, leaving behind Tristan's sleeping form, and finally paint for the first time in years. At first, Francesca did not know what she wanted to paint, but as soon as she faced the canvas, it became obvious. She simply had to paint her dr

"Gia, thank goodness. How are you feeling?" "Better now.""I-I'm..." Francesca was suddenly not sure what to say, "What happened? How did you escape? How did you find us?" "That's a lot of questions. How I escaped was a long story. As to finding where you are. Well, Emerald Tower isn't exactly that hard to spot here in New York, Ches." Francesca warmed at Gianna calling her by her nickname, "You're right. That was stupid." "Francesca." Tristan's voice made her turn towards the door. He took one look at Gianna and his eyes landed on Francesca again. "Can I talk to you alone, for a second?"Without another word, Tristan led her to the supply room of the infirmary, ignoring the curious looks of the nurses around them. He shut the door quietly. "Can you believe it? She's here. Sure, she's a bit banged up, but she looks like she's healing. And she's...actually here." Francesca was practically jumping up and down in happinness, "Now, we just need to rescue Mira and--" "Qin ai de, wha

"The specialized Zeta units are keeping our enemies in line with guerilla tactics. The traps we've set up around their territory have slowed them down significantly, too." Lynn's voice wafted from the speakerphone at the center of the long table in the room. The "Underground" that Tristan was talking about turned out to be a mini-mansion just right underneath Emerald Tower. It wasn't just a meeting room where Tristan briefs his pack members, just as Francesca had initially expected. "How many casualties do we have so far?" Tristan continued to inquire. There was a pause at the other end as Lynn answered, "We're at ten from the Zeta units and 25 from the Etas." Silence filled the room. "What about the humans, and our civilians?" Tristan spoke again, his grief barely concealed from his subordinates. "The gammas have worked their magic, so we have none so far." came Lynn's voice on the other end. Tristan's shoulders sagged in relief, and Francesca could tell that the people

The resistance's hideout is in a secluded room in a New Jersey bar. A bar, of all places. Somewhere Francesca would never thought her Uncle Julio would step in. But the way she remembered Stefano's memories could not be wrong. One of his Zetas was here, investigating the place. Only, they did not find anything then so they did not bother. Francesca did. It was the painting of the phoenix on the wall. She painted it. Her Uncle Julio and the other rebels were hiding there. And she was right. She could see him now, just sitting at the table near the stage, in front of his wife, Lolita. It was as if he was waiting for her. "Uncle, Auntie," Francesca said as he neared them and she pulled her hoodie down. Gianna and Ivan, who had been quietly following behind her also did the same. Francesca could tell from the way the energy of the room shifted that the people there had just recognized her. She couldn't tell yet what their stares meant. Yes, she had help the prisoners escape, but she ha