After breakfast, David called Ryder and I to his office. I knew it was about the vampires that showed up last night. This was probably the first time I've ever seen David angry. He was mad, and my wolf could sense it before we entered his office. His aura was powerful and all out for the world to see.

"I want to know how two vampires were able make into my pack and harm a wolf under my care. How does something like that happen? Where were the patrols?" David demanded. "They managed to evade all my patrols. What's the point if they aren't going to protect anything?"

"I understand your concern," Ryder said. "I'm just as shocked as you are."

"One of them was able to manipulate electricity," I said. "Damn vampire electrocuted me."

"Where do you think they came from?" James asked.

"I don't know where they came from, but I can guess where they were going," David said. "Get Lancer on the phone."

"They mentioned a man named Lancer," I said.

"You remember we mentioned him at dinner that one night. Odin Lancer is his full name."

"Most wolves like to call him a bloodsucker lover," James said.

"He's known to be very friendly with vampires," David said. "He lets them onto his land. They come and go as they please. Not everyone approves of it, but I could care less what he does with his land. I do have a problem with them trespassing on my land. I want Odin on the phone now. He needs to answer for this."

"I'm on it," James said, reaching for the phone and dialing the alpha's number.

"Put it on speaker." James nodded and we all could hear the phone ringing. It didn't take long for someone to pick up.

"Hello?" a female voice answered.

"I need to speak with Odin. This is Alpha David from Blackhound."

"You seriously couldn't have called at a worse time, Alpha David. Give me a moment," she sighed. We waited and waited until we heard a commotion in the background.

"I'll kill him!" someone growled.

"Just answer the damn phone!"

"Who the hell is it?"

"Alpha David from Blackhound. He's probably calling about Noah and Alexander." We heard more growling and movement before Odin finally picked up the phone.

"David, why are you calling me?"

"I have an important matter to discuss with you. Two vampires trespassed on my land last night and attacked several of my wolves. I know they're yours."

"How are you so sure I know em?"

"One of them was named Noah. Noah with blonde hair," I answered.

"You have me on speaker, David?"

"It's only those who need to know. Now we know those vampires went to your pack. They injured my own so what are you going to do about it?"

"Vampires trespassing your land isn't my problem. Maybe you should have better patrols." David growled, and I thought this Odin Lancer was stupidly brave. Then again, he was an alpha himself and didn't need to bend to anyone else. "If you have an issue with them, then take it up with the vampire council."

"You and I both know that it wouldn't do anything. I'm not calling them."

"Then why are you calling me and wasting my time, David? I have more important matters to address."

"I don't give a shit about who trespassed what," I said into the phone. "I want a round with them. They electrocuted me and that hurt like hell. I want payback." There was a pause before Odin continued.

"David, I suggest you call me next time with something important." He then hung up. David was fuming. Ryder pulled me away as he pushed everything off his desk.

"David, you need to run it off!" James shouted. David growled, but then he looked at me. He calmed down a little, but only enough to run out of the office. The three of us let out a breath and relaxed.

"I've never seen him like that," I said.

"It's rare, but it happens," Ryder said. "Damn, Odin can piss off any wolf."

"David hates working with him. As you just saw, he's really difficult to work with."

"Like somebody I know," Ryder said and I stuck my tongue out at him.

"I don't get it. It was obvious he knew the vampires we were talking about. Why did he blow David off like that?"

"Odin is protective of those vampires he associates with. It's why most of the packs around here don't like him. They think he'd choose them over his own kind."

"What is there to choose?" Alpha Odin made my wolf and I curious.

It was much later when David showed up to Cassandra and James' asking to see me. I was currently sitting in between an uncomfortable sandwich made out of Cassandra and James as we watched a movie. I was thankful for the excuse to get away from them.

"What's up?" I asked as I stepped out the front door.

"I wanted to apologize for earlier."

"It's not anything I've never seen before," I shook off. I was a beta to Kian. He used to lose his shit all the time. It came with the territory.

"I shouldn't have lost it like that. I'm much too old to act that way."

"You're an alpha wolf, David."

"I'm just protective of my pack and that Odin knows how to get under my skin. He's a stubborn ass." Hearing David curse was funnier than watching Ryder trip over his own feet. "What's so funny, Savannah?"

"Nothing," I said, trying to contain my laughter. "Any alpha in your position would have acted the same way. Someone trespassed into your territory and got away with it. It's frustrating so I understand. Stop your stupid apologizing because it's annoying." He chuckled.

"Fine. Did I ever tell you that you remind me so much of my daughter?"

"No. I didn't know you had a daughter."

"I had a daughter and mate. They both passed unfortunately."

"I'm sorry." I couldn't imagine losing a mate and child. I knew loss, but not like that. Losing a mate, a true mate, was unbearable for a wolf. They were our other half and without them, we could never feel whole.

"Was she your true mate?" He shook his head.

"No, she wasn't. I have yet to find her and I gave up hope on looking. My wolf and I thought it was best to settle down. It didn't matter to us. We still loved her as if she was our true mate and we had a beautiful daughter who was as fiery as you. Okay maybe not as fiery, but she didn't let the world stop her. She was going to take over Blackhound and be a great luna. It's that fire that got her killed. She begged me to let her go into battle with me. She wasn't like the other females and that was due to the alpha blood in her. I couldn't stop her. She went into battle and died. There are days when I think about the what if's. What if I had made her stay home?"

"You can't think like that. Thinking like that will drive you crazy. If she died doing what she wanted, then you can't blame yourself." I was probably talking to a wall. Wolves had a need to protect their own whether they were dead or not. His daughter meant a lot to him and he probably would never stop blaming himself over her death. This explained why he was so protective of me even though he barely knew me. None of them really knew me yet they accepted me as one of their own when they didn't have to. I still wasn't ready to give them certain pieces of me. I probably would never be ready to tell anyone about what pains me at night.

Never.

***

"How much cleaner can one house get?" I asked as I watched Cassandra clean the living room like a man woman.

"My mother likes a clean home."

"Your mother is coming too?"

"Yes. It was a last-minute thing, but parents agreed to both come. They never visit at once because of the pack, but now my brother is old enough to look after the pack himself since he'll be taking over soon."

"Oh goody, more company. Where's James?"

"Why should I know? He left early this morning and I don't care where he went." Cassandra was lying through her teeth. She worried about James and I knew she wanted to make up with him, but she didn't want to be the one to bend first. Were all relationships this complicated. Ryder and the boys entered. "It's about time you got here."

"Why do we need to be here again?" Ryder asked. "They're your parents, not ours."

"I want everyone here to meet them."

"We've already met them, Cassandra. Savannah is the only one who hasn't met them yet, so she should be the only one here."

"I don't see James here either," Malcolm pointed out.

"I cook for you. Unless you want me to close Restaurant Cassandra then I suggest you all suck it up." Her threat shut them up real fast. We spent the next forty-five minutes waiting for Cassandra's parents to show up. I was growing annoyed with Jeremiad who wouldn't stop trying to hold a conversation with me. He managed to get the seat next to before anyone else could and refused to move. I was five seconds from beating his ass again.

"What's your favorite color, Savannah?" he asked, grabbing my hand.

"Red like your blood that will be spilled all over this floor if you don't leave me alone," I snapped.

"They're here!" Cassandra squealed. She threw open the front door and ran outside. We all got up to follow her. She ran into the arms of her father who was as big as David. They were probably around the same age too. He had one scar going down the length of his face through his left eye. He was tall and broad with black hair.

Cassandra was the spitting image of her mother. Just like Cassandra, her mother had long blonde hair that she kept straight down her back. She was tiny compared to her mate. Cassandra then hugged her mother. Cassandra must have got her height from her father.

"I've missed you so much," Cassandra said to them.

"You should visit more often, Cassandra," her mother said. "Home isn't the same without you."

"You know, your brothers miss you like crazy."

"I miss them too. You remember Ryder, Jeremiah, and the twins."

"Of course," her father answered.

"I think I see a new face," her mother said.

"Mom, Dad, this is Savannah."

"I smell power on you," her father said as he closed the distance between us. I extended my hand out to him and grasped it with strength. He was trying to test me out. My wolf growled. We wouldn't bend to this alpha. He wasn't the one. I sighed and met his grip with my own strength. He was just another alpha that didn't sit well with me. "Nice to meet you, Savannah."

"Same to you, Alpha."

"Cole to you," he said with a wink and a smile. I gave him a small smile and nodded, stepping back so he could greet the other wolves.

"How unusual for a wolf such as yourself to be here?" Cassandra's mother said as she walked up to me. "Call me Cassidy. Alpha?" she asked.

"No, ma'am, I'm a beta wolf."

"I see. David has finally come to his senses and has decided to replace his beta. I can't say that I blame him," Cole said, and Cassandra looked at her father disapprovingly. He cracked a smile and shrugged his shoulders. "I'm only joking."

"Speaking of that mate of yours, where is he?" her mother asked.

"He's probably with working with David. Savannah spotted two vampires the other day."

"Vampires?" Cole asked turning to me. I didn't think it was wise of Cassandra to speak pack business with another alpha, but I chose to speak anyway.

"Yes. I was on my way back here when I saw them."

"Vampires were able to get pass patrols?"

"David is handling it with James," I told him.

"I don't like the sound of this," Cassidy said. "Maybe you should speak with David, dear."

"I think I should too."

"That's unnecessary, Alpha," Ryder said. "James and David are doing everything in their power to get to the bottom of this and prevent it from happening again."

"Besides, you are here to visit me, not work," Cassandra said.

"You're right," he said as he pulled his daughter into his side.

***

"So you're that wolf David mentioned," Cole said to me. "Well from what I can see, you aren't too bad Savannah. I would be pleased to have a wolf like you in my pack."

"That's very kind of you, but my wolf and I doubt we would fit in well with your pack. No offense, Alpha Cole."

"What did I say? Call me Cole and tell me why? I understand that you've grown close to everyone here, but you are a powerful wolf. David wouldn't know what to do with you."

"Dad!" Cassandra shouted and her father waved her off.

"I can sense how rugged you are. You aren't from around here. Most of the packs here have gotten fat and lazy if you ask me."

"Flattery won't get me to join your pack," I told him. "I intend to be a beta."

"I could always use another beta, Savannah."

"We wouldn't click. I heard you were very traditional. If that's true, then I assume you would know how betas and alphas are paired." He looked at me and then laughed. He actually laughed in my face. My wolf came forward and it took a lot to remain in my seat.

"I may be traditional, but no one follows that old tale. That was centuries ago."

"What is she talking about, Dad?" Cassandra asked.

"There is a tale of how betas and alphas came together. A beta didn't used to be passed down from father to son. Alphas didn't choose their betas. The moon did. Alphas and betas are supposed to share a connection. A beta cannot simply follow any alpha. It has to feel right. We have to want to follow them. A beta is probably the only other wolf, other than a mate, that can defy an alpha's command. I do not take that connection lightly. My wolf would never see you as her alpha, no offense. Just like she can't see David as her alpha. I shall keep searching until I find him."

"As honorable as that sounds, do you know why that practice died off? Alphas needed betas and betas needed alphas. Who had time to wait a lifetime searching for a beta that shares a connection with you? Betas are seconds-in-command."

"We are not simply a warrior, Cole."

"A beta follows the alpha, no matter who it is. That's the order of things."

"And I should join your back because you think so? Your beta might be a half-ass who follows you around like a sick puppy, but I wasn't raised that way. My allegiance will go to an alpha who has earned it," I growled. I could see his wolf at the surface. He didn't like my attitude and I certainly didn't like his.

"Remember who you're speaking to."

"I know who I am speaking to. Am I supposed to be scared of you because you're an alpha? I've dealt with plenty of alphas before." He growled, and I growled back. His blood was boiling. I could see it in his eyes. I could feel it in the air. Everyone else sat uncomfortably.

"Dad, please don't," Cassandra begged. She then turned to me. "I think it would be best that you left." My wolf snarled, but I didn't care. I knew Cassandra would side with her father. He was her father after all. I couldn't come between a bond like that. I shrugged my shoulders and got up.

"See ya around, Alpha Cole," I said and walked out. Now I understood where James was coming from. I fully understood. Alpha Cole was a prideful alpha and didn't take well to any type of criticism. Embarrassment was his kryptonite. I'm sure he would never forget me now like he never forgot what James did to him as minor as it had been. Image was too important to him.

I decided to run. Running was the best time to get away and think. I needed to run as much as I could before the snow fell. It would be near impossible then. I stripped down to nothing and shifted into my fur.

Running didn't solve everything, but it did make things feel better.