“Considering we now have the tool to break the curse of the moon?” She stared at me with indignation. “Yes. We owe it to wolves everywhere. Just think, Alex and the other wolfborns can be human when we are. We can be wolves when they are. The younger ones have missed out on so much. Do you know they only recently saw their first movie?”

  I took a deep breath. It felt like we were speaking two different languages. “That’s not what I mean. I don’t want to discuss it here.” If any vampires found out that she had been the one to wake Fenrisúlfr, I doubted there was much we could do to protect her.

  “Of course you don’t, but I do.” She narrowed her eyes at me. Her harsh glare felt like daggers stabbing my soul. She cradled the stone and rubbed it.

  I reached for it. “Maybe it would be best if we put that away for now.”

  She snatched it away from my reach and backed up, shaking her head.

  I felt the burn of everyone else’s stares. “Victoria, why don’t we head back to Moonhaven? We can discuss this in the morning. It’s been a long and trying day.”

  “No.” Tears spilled down her face. “You don’t want to marry me. I’m not going anywhere with you.”

  I gasped, her words gutting me. “You can’t mean that.”

  She wiped her face. “Oh, I very much do.” With that, she fled the room.

  I ran after her, unwilling to let her get away. Given how upset she was, she was likely to shift in the middle of the vampire castle.

  Chapter 125

  Victoria

  I ran down hallways, corridors, and wide open spaces. Toby wasn’t too far behind. His aroma stayed near. I ran down a spiraling staircase and came to a room full of vampires. It was just what I needed to cover my scent and get away from him. Why couldn’t he understand that I needed space? If he wouldn’t discuss marriage, we had nothing to talk about.

  My feet slid as I ran toward the crowd. I ignored the glares of disgust as I pushed my way through the mass of vampires. Someone stuck a foot in my path. I lost my balance and fell flat on my face, skidding across the floor, sliding into several sets of legs. Laughter erupted around me.

  I scrambled to my feet, grumbling. Would I ever be graceful? It always seemed that I was the clumsiest werewolf in existence. I darted around the vampires and ran down a narrow, dimly lit hallway. At least it was free of vampires.

  “Victoria!”

  But I wasn’t alone. My throat closed up, thinking about Toby telling me how it would be—all other werewolves above us. First it was the jaguars, then our parents getting in our way. Now it was him. I never would have suspected Toby to object to us being together.

  I forced my feet to move faster. I slid on the slick floor again, but at least nobody was deliberately trying to trip me. I reached out for the walls on either side to keep me balanced.

  “Stop! We need to talk!”

  “Go away!” Tears blurred my vision again. I wiped them away and ran faster. Carpet came into view. I lunged for it, and ran with ease. Unfortunately, the corridor was a dead end. I glanced around for a door. There was no escape. I jumped behind a couch and pulled my knees to my chest. My breath hitched as I listened for his footsteps. I shook, wild emotions raging through me.

  I took deep, quiet breaths, trying to calm myself while still remaining hidden. Hopefully, Toby would give up trying to find me and return to the others. Since he was so concerned about everyone else, he should just stay with them.

  My heart continued racing. It felt like it would burst out of my chest and break through the couch in front of me. I rubbed the stone, allowing it to relax me. I leaned my head back against the wall and closed my eyes.

  Something touched my right knee. My eyes flew open. Toby sat next to me.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, his eyes full of concern—probably concern for what others thought.

  I scooted away and looked in front of me.

  “What’s going on?” His voice was soft, and he didn’t move toward me.

  “You should know.” I continued rubbing the stone. It soothed my frayed nerves.

  “If having the wedding sooner rather than later is that important to you, why can’t you just talk to me? You don’t need to run away from me like that.”

  “I tried talking to you! You wouldn’t listen.”

  “I thought I was.”

  “You thought wrong.” I scooted farther away while still keeping the stone in my grasp.

  “When do you want to have the wedding?”

  I didn’t answer.

  “Victoria?”

  “Do whatever you want, then we can talk about it.”

  “I’m here, talking about it now.”

  “Well, go figure out what to do about the other werewolves first. They’re obviously more important.”

  “I don’t want to. And no, they’re not.”

  “You could’ve fooled me.”

  “It wasn’t my intention to hurt you. That was the last thing I wanted.”

  “Well, that’s what you did.” I rubbed the stone, allowing it to soothe me further.

  “Can we start the wedding conversation over again? I really want us to be on the same page.”

  “You mean you want me to get on the same page as you.”

  He took a deep breath and didn’t say anything for a couple moments. “That isn’t what I meant.”

  I turned and looked at him.

  “You’re the most important thing to me,” he said. “And sometimes I forget I’m no longer the head alpha over all the packs of the world. The other packs are responsible for themselves.”

  Toby held my gaze, and I studied him. His expression was kind. He seemed genuine.

  Sighing, I faced the back of the couch again. “I want it to be just as important to you as it is to me.”

  He scooted closer to me and put his arm around me. “Nothing is more important than you.”

  I turned to him. “Really?”

  “Of course! Why else would I have stayed single all those years you were dead? I had no reason to think you were coming back—the thought of someone opening the other side was the last thing I ever imagined happening. And do I need to remind you of everything I’ve been through with the jaguars and our fathers?”

  He stared into my eyes, piercing deep into my soul. Tears filled my eyes and again. They spilled to my face.

  Toby reached over and wiped them. “When you hurt, I hurt. I hope you know that.”

  I glanced down. I did know that. What had gotten into me? Could it have been the wolf essence stone? That had to have been it. I didn’t normally act like that. It was time for me to focus on reality. Toby cared about me. I knew he did.

  “If you’d like, we can marry today. There are a thousand beautiful places around the castle. Soleil can officiate. What do you think?”

  “Tap would be mad if we didn’t get married in the Faeble.”

  “I’m sure he’d get over it.”

  “His sisters might not.”

  Toby chuckled and kissed my cheek. “You might have a point. But I’m pretty sure your mom wants to be there, and she went to all that trouble making your dress.”

  I smiled, finally feeling like things were as they should be. “We’ve been through so much. I just want to get married and start our life together. Then we can help the other packs as a team. I just don’t think we should let anything else get in our way. There’s nothing stopping us now.”

  “You’re right.”

  I leaned my head against him.

  “So, we’re good?”

  “We’re good.”

  He rose and helped me up. “You didn’t shift, did you notice that?”

  I gave him a double-take. He was right. I’d been so upset, and not even a bone had popped, trying to shift. Fear tore through me. “You don’t think I’m losing the ability to shift again, do you?”

  Toby put his hand on mine. “I think it has more to do with the wolf essence stone. You’re rubbing and wearing the item that’s said to break the curse of the moon. You might only shift if you want to.”

  My eyes nearly popped out of my head. It was the only thing that made any sense.

  “That’s good news.” He kissed the top of my head. “All the more reason for you to wear it until we figure out how it’ll help werewolves everywhere to shift at will.”

  I clasped my palm around the stone and nodded. “But I still want to wear it for our ceremony.”

  “Whatever you wish, sweetness. Are you ready to go back to the room and see how Zia’s doing?”

  “Yeah. I’m sorry for running away like that. I should’ve trusted you.”

  He ran his fingers through my hair and tucked some behind my ear. “I understand why you did. Again, I’m sorry for hurting you.”

  “And I’m sorry for—”

  “No more apologies.” He brushed his lips across mine. “Time to move forward. We have a wedding to plan.”

  “I’m—”

  “Don’t say sorry.”

  “Excited to be back to planning our wedding.”

  Toby grinned. “Good. So am I.” He laced his fingers through mine. I squeezed his hand, and we headed back toward Ziamara’s room. A few minutes later, loud conversation sounded around the corner.

  I turned to Toby. “I don’t suppose you know a way back that doesn’t involve running into groups of vampires?”

  He paused. “Actually, I do, but it might take twice as long to get back.”

  “Sounds good to me.” I shuddered, thinking about running into more of them. I’d had more than enough of their threatening glares.

  “I understand completely. It’s a lot worse the fuller the castle is—vampires come in from all over the world, and many cultures refuse to accept peace between the species.”

  “Wonderful,” I muttered.

  “The king and queen are on our side. Any vampire would be stupid to act on their impulses here. Murderous stares are the worst we should run into.”

  “Still, I’d feel better taking the scenic route.”

  Toby pulled me close and kissed me. Then he led me down a quiet hallway. We wandered down a maze of halls and corridors, always turning away from the sounds of conversation. I distracted myself by rubbing the stone and admiring the artwork along the way. I couldn’t imagine living somewhere that had so much rare and exquisite pieces displayed almost as it if were ordinary.

  At last, we made it back to the hallway leading to Ziamara’s room. Toby turned to me. “Let me see if the Fyrsturae are still in their meeting.” He let go of my hand and walked over to a door, pressing his ear against it. Then he came back over to me. “They are.”

  “What are they talking about?”

  “They’re arguing about something—talking over each other to the point that I couldn’t understand a word. It’s going to be a while. It could literally be days. Old vampires like that sleep less than once a month.”

  “So, should we head back to Moonhaven?” I asked.

  “I think so.”

  When we got to Ziamara’s room, she was walking around with the baby. Jet, Tap, and Soleil were nowhere to be seen. She turned to us. “Is everything okay?”

  Toby put his arm around me. “Couldn’t be better. How are you?”

  “Anxious to get home.”

  “Is it okay if you leave now?” I asked.

  “This isn’t a hospital. I don’t need anyone’s permission. Sebastian and I are both doing great, and there’s nothing keeping us here.”

  “Where are Jet, Tap, and Soleil?” Toby asked.

  “Trying to hunt down a car seat.”

  I bit back a joke about how many supernaturals it would take to get a baby into a car.

  “You think there’ll be baby supplies here?” Toby asked.

  “They have everything. Trust me.” She rocked the little bundle back and forth.

  “Wait,” I said. “Do you have anything you need for him? Diapers? Formula? Blankets? What else?” I searched my mind for anything else a baby would need.

  “We’re all set. He doesn’t need formula. My milk is all he’ll need for a while. I called Moonhaven. Your mom and Stella are putting together a crib as we speak.”

  “That’s good. We—”

  The door opened. Jet, Tap, and Soleil entered, speaking a mile a minute. Jet carried a tiny car seat and Soleil’s arms were full with blankets, sheets, and other baby items.

  I watched in awe as they changed Sebastian’s diaper and tucked him into the little seat. It was so weird to think of Jet and Ziamara as parents—especially since the pregnancy had been so short. A quick vampire pregnancy was about three months, and hers had been less than even that!

  Before long, we were running through the enchanted woods on unicorns’ backs, except for Zia, who ran alongside us as fast as any vampire who hadn’t just had a baby. Though we wolves healed quickly, it never failed to amaze me how fast our vampire healed from everything.

  Finally, we made it out of the woods and hurried to the parking garage. It took us a while to figure out how to buckle the car seat into the car, but once we did, we were finally on our way home. Toby insisted on driving my car, and with as tired as I was, I didn't complain. I squished into the back with Tap, Zia, and Sebastian.

  “How’s the wedding planning coming along?” Ziamara asked.

  I rubbed the stone. “Nothing new yet, other than the fact that we might push the date up a little.”

  “My sisters will be excited about that,” Tap said. “I can pass along anything you want me to tell them.”

  We all discussed weddings and babies the whole way to Moonhaven.

  Once we got home, everyone else in the pack was gathered in the living room, pale and quiet.

  “What’s the matter?” Toby exclaimed.

  Chapter 126

  Toby

  Sal stepped toward me with a somber expression. “We just got word of another two packs that have been annihilated.”

  My stomach twisted in knots. We had to do something—especially since our pack was responsible for awakening that monster. There was no other word to describe Fenrisúlfr. Not with all the news of his murderous reign of terror.

  Bobby turned to me. “Other packs keep calling us.”

  My stomach lurched. Did they know we were to blame? I took a deep breath. “What do they want?”

  “They’re looking for guidance. They want to know what we should do.”

  I paced, my mind racing. “Those of us here in the states are okay for the time being. All the reports I’ve heard have been in Europe and Asia. He’s moving around, but staying on that side of the Atlantic.”

  Sal frowned. “But if he crosses the Pacific, he’ll wind up here on the west coast.”

  I nodded, all too aware of that danger. “I’m going to have to call a meeting of the alphas. We need to talk.”

  “You think they’ll be willing to leave their packs, sir?” Sal asked.

  “If they’re not, I can bring them in on a video call. Actually, that might not be a bad idea. I can use one of those programs that allows for a large group to have an online conference call. It’ll be quicker and no one needs to travel.” I gave everyone instructions on what to do and then I headed into my office for some quiet.

  I sat next to the window and watched snow fall as I weighed all the options. The other alphas were just as concerned as they should be. With Fenrisúlfr running wild, killing pack after pack, it was only a matter of time before he showed up on our continent.

  Once I had my bearings, I set up a conference call and sent a group text to all the alphas with the information. People joined the call immediately, nearly filling the virtual conference room. Everyone spoke at once, making it impossible to hear anyone.

  “Okay, okay,” I said. “We need order. This program allows me to mute people as needed. I’d prefer not to do that as we’re all responsible leaders.”

  The conversation settled, quieting until all was finally silent.

  “Let me catch everyone up with what I know, then you can update me on anything I’ve missed.” I took a deep breath and explained Fen’s awakening with as little detail as possible, not even mentioning that anyone from my pack had been in Iceland at the time. I also didn’t tell them anything about the stone. We needed to face one thing at a time, and though we had the stone, it wasn’t going to help us—not to shift apart from the moon or to capture the first wolf again. We would need a powerful witch for both tasks.

  Once I finished, everyone started speaking over each other again. I held my hand out, hoping they would quiet themselves. I didn’t want to disrespect a few dozen alphas by muting them, but I would if it came down to it. They stopped speaking.

  “Thank you,” I said. “I want to hear from everyone, but we need to do this in an organized manner. I’ll call on you in the order you show up on my screen. Rick, why don’t you start?”

  The blond Canadian with a thick, bushy beard nodded. “Do we know why this Fenrisúlfr character is on a killing spree?”

  “I don’t know exactly. He has some old rivalries, but everyone he would’ve known should be dead by now. The only thing I can surmise is that he’s making his enemy’s descendants pay. But that’s only a guess. Does anyone else have any other thoughts? Raise your hand.”

  Nobody did.

  “Do you have anything else to say, Rick?” I asked.

  “Only that we need to stop the wolf as soon as possible.”

  “That’s our goal.” I called on the next alpha and then the next. Nobody knew anything, but each seemed relieved at the chance to air their concerns to the group. Once they were all done, I spoke up again. “We need to stay in constant communication. We’ve got the texting conversation and email. I’d prefer texting. If anyone hears anything, he needs to let us all know immediately. That goes for me, as well. If I hear any news, you’ll be the first to know. In the meantime, we need to protect our packs. Be prepared with weapons—but we don’t kill Fenrisúlfr. Not until we have solid proof that his death won’t kill us all.”

  “What are we going to do with him if we catch him?” Rick exclaimed.