Zane


    Instantly, I stepped forward. “Yes. Get Lanie out of here.”


    “I’m not running,” our Luna retorted fiercely.


    “Brightsky is in danger because of us.”


    “This enve is in danger because of your grandfather’s arrogance,” I told her firmly.


    Ste nodded. “That’s true, in part. Because Mchi kept everything under his own control without truly


    letting anyone else have any power to control things here, yes. But it’s also true that the four of you,


    me, and the twins, all are the reason why Brightsky is now in danger.”


    are.”


    Lanie gave her head a stubborn shake. “Which is why I’m not abandoning them! We stay and fight!”


    Xander wrapped his arms around her and kissed her temple. “You leave the fighting to us, love.”


    Our Luna struggled out of his grip. “Don’t you pull that Alpha card with me. I’m in this as much as you


    all


    huh?”


    Mason stepped up to put a hand on her shoulder. “We need to listen to Ste.”


    “Oh, so now you’re ready to do whatever she says?”


    Lanie snapped at him. “When ites to sending me away, I guess she’s making all kinds of sense


    now,


    She whirled on the two Alphas who were standing together in a united front. She poked each of them in


    the chest. Hard. I had to hold back augh. None of this was funny, but even so, watching our Luna


    stand up to Xander and Mason was like watching a mouse face off with a pair of very pi ssed-off-


    looking lions.


    “Think about it,” Mason told her without flinching away from her touch, even when she poked him


    again.


    He stared Lanie down without looking away. “If we leave the enve, the High Council will be drawn


    away. They’ll have no reason to do anything to the people here. It’s us they want.”


    Ste raised her hands again to let those swirling, glittery orbs float up from her palms. I had no idea


    what they were, only that a sense of relief came along with them. I was able to understand the situation


    from multiple viewpoints all at once. It wasn’t quite like being able to see every timeline and oue,


    but I felt how hard it must be for our little girl to have to sift through everything to find the truth.


    “And what if they’re not?” Lanie asked in a small voice. It trembled, not with weakness, but with the


    force of her emotions. They poured out of her in slow, pulsing waves that I found hard to keep at bay.


    She turned toward Ste. “What if we run off and make it to safety, and everyone left behind here is


    destroyed the way they intend to kill the spiders?”


    “You’re forgetting something, love.” I stepped forward. “That hasn’t happened yet. The High Council


    made the decision to do it, which is what has let Ste figure out what steps we should take. Right?”


    I looked at Ste, who nodded. I could tell that she was doing her best to let her mother figure it out on


    her own. It was the only way Lanie would agree. If she believed it was the right choice.


    “So you mean we could stop them? Before they hurt the spiders, before they cut the power to the


    enve?”


    Lanie asked.


    Ste nodded and put an arm around her mother’s shoulders. “I think so, Mother. That’s what I’m


    seeing.


    Of course, every decision we make also changes the path ahead. But this is the one that leads to the


    best


    oue, at least for now.”


    Lanie’s struggle was still clear on her face. She shrugged off Mason and Xander and hugged Ste.


    Then she buzzed back and forth again, moving fast with her vampire speed. I felt a breeze as she


    passed.


    I wanted to reach out and stop her, but I didn’t dare get in her way. She’d have bowled me over.


    And I didn’t want to feel like I was forcing her into any decision.


    The Alphas weren’t as generous. Both of them stepped in front of her at the same time. She ran


    straight


    into them, almost knocking them out of the way. They were only able to stop her with sheer, brute


    strength.


    Each of them grabbed her by an arm and held her in ce as her feet kept moving for a few seconds


    until


    she stopped.


    They set her down.


    There was a moment when it looked like she was going to fight them, or at least yell at them for getting


    in her way, but once more, Ste created those shimmering, soft orbs. We all stopped, paused,


    centered ourselves in our daughter’s sphere of serenity. Earlier in the bedroom as we were falling


    asleep, I’d felt a sens of deep connection with my mates. Like we were all aligned and in tune.


    That sensation was even stronger now, and this time, it included our daughter. We were more than a


    pack a family, a team. We were all joined in a way I couldn’t truly describe…I just knew it was because


    of Ste.


    “I’ve seen us prevail,” she said now to us all. She grinned. “They’re still tapping into Gabri’s third


    eye. Which means we can manipte what she sees to our advantage. We can totally set up the High


    Council to


    fail.”Content ? N?velDrama.Org.