Xander


    me


    I ran to my mother, but just as quickly as she’d fallen, she got


    back up and waved me away.


    “I''m fine,” she said irritatedly, but | could tell that she wasn''t. “Let''s just finish figuring out the n.”


    | nodded but kept my eye on her.


    “So Xander and Mason are staying behind...together?” Lanie asked warily, ncing between the two of us.


    | could tell she thought that was a terrible idea, but to be honest, so did I.


    “Is that wise, considering the whole Alpha thing?” Zane asked.


    | shot him an annoyed look. Way to remind me that my ba stard brother might steal my title away from


    Thest thing | wanted to do while Zane and Lanie were off rescuing the twins was argue with Mason


    over who was the bigger, badder wolf.


    It was me. duh.


    “| just don’t want you two fighting over Ste.” Lanie crossed her arms. “Or worse, ignoring her while you


    compare d ick sizes,” she mumbled.


    Rhiannon barked out augh, and | shot her a death re. I''d always appreciated that Lanie had a mouth


    on her, but no one else was allowed to give us s hit like that.


    “Til behave if Xander does,” Mason said.


    | rolled my eyes. “Right back at ya, bud.”


    “They''ll both behave,” Gabri said. “I''ll make sure of it. I''ll stay here with them and help with Ste.”


    She wrung her hands and looked down at the ground. She looked meeker and more unsure than | was


    used to her being. “I’m certainly not going back to Constantine....where else would | be?”


    Her voice cracked, and she spun around, nting one hand on the wall to steady herself.


    | was ready this time, and grabbed her shoulders, helping to hold her up. She ced a shaking hand on her head and her eyes


    fluttered closed.


    “What is it, Ma?” | asked. “Are you okay?”


    “| think Gabri is mourning,” Lanie said in a small, sad voice.


    S hit. Of course she was. My father was a s hitty person and an even shi ttier mate, but he was her mate


    And when mates died, she wolves felt it. Especially Lunas.


    I''d heard it described in school once. It was supposedly like having your body ripped in half, a pain that


    And on top of that, my mother had lost her pack to the Council and my father’s evil n. The whole pack was on lockdown


    without an Alpha, Beta, or Luna, and if any of us tried to return, we’d be imprisoned at best, and killed at worst.Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    But here | was


    worrying about what kind of arguments Mason and | would get into while Lanie was gone,


    Asting of guilt pierced through me as | walked my mother over to the couch and sat her down gently.


    Lanie threw a nket over her.


    “You''re right,” | said to Lanie. “I hadn’t even stopped to think about all the s hit she’s been through with my


    father.”


    Lanie grabbed my arm and squeezed it. “It’s okay. You can be there for her now,” she told me through our mind link.


    Her words sent aforting flush of warmth through my body. | nodded. Out of the corner of my eye. | saw Zane nod, too.


    Mason was watching us closely. He still didn’t know we couldmunicate like this again, and now was certainly not the time to


    tell him.


    But my chest swelled with a hint of satisfaction.


    Lanie and | had a secret, and Mason would never get to share it.


    Zane


    “| feel much better about leaving Xander and Mason together now,” Lanie said as we threw our stuff into the car a whileter.


    We''d already said our goodbyes. “At least they won''t be alone.”


    “So do I,” | agreed.


    Gabri was in intense emotional pain from Orion’s death-| had faith that Xander wouldn’t do anything that would make her life


    harder right now.


    He could be a stubborn pain in the a ss, but picking a fight with Mason wasn’t worth causing his mother. even more pain and


    frustration.


    To be honest, | really hoped Xander and Mason used this time alone toe to some sort of agreement on the whole both-


    being-true-Alpha thing.


    Because that was kind of a walk in the parkpared to whaty ahead with Lanie, Ste, and the twins.


    Goddess only knew how we’d handle those issues once we were all back together...


    “| think I’m ready to go,” Lanie said, taking onest look at the bags in the trunk before mming it shut. She nced toward the


    house, taking in a deep breath, then letting it out slowly.


    “She''ll be okay, Lanie,” | told her. | knew she was f ucking terrified to leave Ste alone, and | didn’t me


    her. | felt extremely protective of Ste, and I''d only recently learned she was mine. But Ste and Lanie had


    never been apart from each other.


    | climbed in after her and gave her leg a squeeze before peeling away.


    | was sad and scared, too, leaving them behind and thinking about the task ahead of us.


    But | couldn’t lie, a small part of me was grateful for this chance to be alone with Lanie, to finally have her


    all to myself.