Gideon POV This has got to be the strangest thing I have ever encountered in all of my existence. I lost my life because of my involvement with Dakarai. I lost Alvaro because of his loyalty to his queen, Luis through depression by his own hand, and Phinneas through tragedy. Now after 231 years of loss, Hecate or maybe Selene wants to send me a mate? Someone who believes wolves are the enemy? Whatever god or goddess is at work here has a warped sense of humor. I won’t deny that he is handsome, but it will take more than a handsome face to convince me to keep him as my mate. Yes I feel a pull to Eilif and bond, but it isn’t like the wolf mate bond where every fiber of your being wants the person and only that person. Vampires are solitary creatures by nature and mate bonds are rare. I will just have to be cautious while I figure out whether to accept him or not. I am grateful that Alpha Kieran invited him to come and get to know us all, he really didn't have to allow that. Well I supp

Kendall POV I thought that I would feel something when I finally faced my father again, what I didn’t expect was for it to be intense hatred. He has never seen me as worthy of his love and praise, well that only came if I did his bidding. His words at the gate fueled a hatred that was already inside of me, “YOU FUCKING TRAITOR! I ALWAYS KNEW YOU WERE WEAK AND WORTHLESS!” He screamed it at me. I am not the traitor, and he is the worthless one. He betrayed my mother, his pack, and pretty much everyone he has ever come in contact with. He warpered my sister into the psychopath she became and it cost her life in the end. Not that it took much, Keegan was self centered and wanted the finer things in life so he used that to have her do whatever he asked. He wanted her to infiltrate the Cold Moon Pack and she couldn’t do that. I wonder how much longer he would have let her live after her failure. We’ll never know because she was so demented that she got herself killed. She was so bent on b

Nikki POV At breakfast this morning the table conversation revolved around the council and what will happen to Alpha Hollis and the war against the rogues to help Kendall to take over his pack. There is a lot of planning that has to take place in a short time, because the longer we wait to remove the rogues from Rip Claw the more Kendall’s pack suffers and the greater the possibility that he will lose the loyalty of the pack members. We go back over squad divisions and look at where we might need to make changes to be most effective. We have come to the agreement that we should not have mates or family members on the same squads with the exception that Gideon will be with me. That was a hard line he drew in the sand and no one wanted to argue with him. Plus it put Frankie more at ease to have me ‘more protected’ as he saw it, Someone cleared their throat and then Eilif spoke, “I realize that I am new and we got off on the wrong foot, but I would really like to help in this fight.”

Nikki POV When we arrived back at the mansion lunch had been prepared buffet style so that everyone could grab what they wanted. Cookie had prepared several different types of sandwiches and an enormous pot of broccoli cheese and potato soup. I selected a croissant piled with homemade chicken salad and it was delicious with diced celery, onion, almonds and dried cranberries mixed in. Mia had come up with an idea just in case the hunches that Kendall and I had about the Head Counselor were correct. So as soon as I finished eating, I headed in the direction of Gideon’s room. I knocked and didn’t get a reply at first so I knocked a little louder a second time. Eilif answered the door with a bath towel at his waist and a huge grin on his face. “Hi Eilif, I am not interrupting anything am I?” I asked slightly embarrassed at seeing him in nothing but a towel. “No, Gideon and I have just finished showering. He should be dressed and out of the bathroom in a minute. We heard knocking and I

Nikki POV In our room Frankie wrapped his arms around my waist and asked me if I was feeling okay after everything that has happened. I told him it had been a whirlwind, but other than that I felt fine. I know he worries, but I am a good fighter and I always seem to have someone watching my back. This battle may be grueling and I have prepared myself physically for the challenge. Mentally I don’t know if anyone can be 100% prepared for that, knowing that there is a good chance that everyone who goes into battle may not come back home alive or uninjured. “I love you Little Bee, I just want you to know that,” Frankie said a little out of the blue. I love you too, my Alpha and I know you know that. What’s going on? Is something wrong?” I asked, trying to understand where his thoughts were. “Nothing is going on, I am just worried about not being able to protect you in battle,” he said with a serious look on his face. “Frankie, you know I am good and aside from that Gideon and Maisey ar