Keir I understand Colton's reasoning, but I also think that Josy has a point, and I think we need to talk to Colton as to why he decided not to alert anyone. I send everyone back into the Pack-house, but Kobal and Argos stay with me; I think they just want to keep their old Alpha safe. They function as my Beta and Gamma, even though they don't hold the official position. They didn't want to take the positions; it belongs to our future leadership, and they wouldn't be having the positions for long. Just a few more months before I can hand it over to Lakota and do what I want to rebuild this Pack. Cian and Quinn are the last ones to head back inside, even though Cian wanted to stay with us. Kobal had to tell him to keep his Son safe before he was willing to go back inside with Quinn and Crimson. "Dad, four of them are approaching the border," Lakota links me, and I tell Kobal and Argos to follow me in Lycan form. On the way to the border, Colton links me that it is Mylana's former Mate, and I hear Kobal chuckle as I answer we are approaching in Lycan form. Kobal and Argos stay in their Lycan form while I address the males in front of me, and I want to punch the fucking Idiot in the face as he checks out Lakota. I have trouble keeping a straight face as she talks to Lance, and I know Colton and Lance will keep her safe, even though she doesn't need their help. "I wasn't talking about you, little girl," he states and takes a step back as Caesar, Argos' Lycan, takes a step forward. Lakota lets Lotus push forward to show him she isn't impressed with him. "Care to explain what you did mean," I reply, and he tells me that he is looking for his Mate and Pup that vanished over a year ago, that he has been unable to find a trace of them. "Dad, didn't Council-member Armas ask you about her when you called him that we settled down here?" Lakota asks. I nod my head as if I am thinking about her words, and I confirm that he did ask me about her. "Every unmated female in my Pack is without a Pup, and the only female we found along the way that had young Pups with her has Pups that are too old to be your Mate and Pup," I state, and he asks if he can take a look around my territory. "No. Most of my Pack-members were cast aside by their former Pack for whatever reason, and I won't allow anyone to scare the shit out of them by allowing you to search my territory. Why did your Mate leave you?" I ask him. Another male steps forward and tells me that they don't have to answer my question, nor are they planning to answer it. "Alpha, some of their companions are making their way along the western border," Colton links me, and I know this is a distraction. "Caesar, Boulder. Western border. Do whatever you have to," I growl, and both of them run off in the direction I said, while a few of our Warriors show up in Wolf form. I link Cian and Quinn to warn them about the threat, and I see that Lotus is trying to take over control, but Lance is whispering something into her ear. "Lakota, keep an eye on these Wolves. If one of them takes a step towards the border, you can let Lotus out to play," I say before I shift into Echo and follow Caesar and Boulder. When I join Caesar and Boulder, I see that Silver, Cian's Lycan, has joined them as well, and before I can ask anything through our mind-link, one of the Wolves runs towards Silver. He doesn't move at all, and for a moment I wonder what the hell he is waiting for, but as the Wolf leaps into the air, Silver rises on his hind legs to grab his throat with his teeth. The movement of the Wolf causes Silver to rip his throat out, and the others back off immediately. Silver doesn't waste time in grabbing the Wolf again and tossing him towards his friends on the other side of our border, causing two of them to be crashed into a tree as the dead Wolf collides with them. Lakota Lotus is hoping one of these assholes makes the mistake of stepping forward, and I actually hope she gets her wish; I could use a good fight right now. Darrius and Matt join us as the four males seem to be talking through their mind-link, and I send the other Warriors along the western border with the message that we will ask questions later. I see one of the males stare at something behind me, and I sense that Minx, Quinn's Lycan, is right behind me. "Minx, if any of them steps forward, Lotus gets to play with the first one. The second one is yours," I say without taking my eyes off Asshole, and I hope he will be the one to make the mistake. Lance and Colton chuckle as Minx whimpers for not getting to take out the first one, but it causes all four of them to react, and Lotus forces the shift to attack the male that made Mylana's life a living hell. As Lotus is toying with him, I link Mylana, "Want to show Asshole that you are alive and happy, before I allow Lotus to kill him?" I ask her. Lotus is still toying with him as I sense that Mylana has arrived, and Lotus allows him to get a good look at her with Peter by her side. His injuries force him to shift back to his Human form, and Lotus steps behind him to let me shift back. I slide an arm around his neck as he looks at Mylana. "You will die knowing that Peter will raise your Son as his own; you will die knowing that she is finally happy. Anything you would like to say to her?" I ask him, but the only response I get is a growl from him, and before he can try to break free, I snap his neck. "Lakota and Lotus, thank you for giving me the chance to close that chapter in my life," Mylana says before she walks off with Peter, turning her back on her past for good. Dad links me to tell me that the others attacked them and that they took care of them; he also asks how our other visitors are behaving. "Not our concern anymore, Dad. All four of them are dead, and Mylana got to say goodbye to her past," I answer him. We decide to burn the bodies near the fork in the road and to inform the Council after that is done; they need to know what happened just in case his Alpha contacts the Council.I am waiting for Council-member Armas to call me back, and Lance is sitting in a chair across from me. I take a good look at the male in front of me; his brown hair in a man-bun on the top of his head, and his brown eyes move from left to right as he reads last night's border patrol report. His second chance Mate better have a brain, and she better not reject him like Jane did; he will make some female very happy one day. He is a kind male; he gets a twinkle in his eyes whenever he smiles, and he will make one hell of a Father one day. I get a notification on my laptop from Council-member Armas; he will call me in ten minutes in a video call. I look at Lance as he chuckles. "You look terrified; what happened?" He asks, and I tell him I have a video call with Council-member Armas. His jaw drops literally, and I smile at the dumbfounded look on his face. We both saw Armas that day at his home, and everything else we know about him is from stories we heard about him over the years. Alpha Geofry never had a good word to say about him after every meeting he ever had with the Council. He didn't strike me as a horrible person, but Dad did say that if he considers your actions unfair or invalid, he will retaliate in a way most can't fathom, and I think that has me so nervous right now. I nearly jump out of my skin when the chime of a video call sounds, and I hear Lance chuckle as I sit up straight before I answer the call. "Hello, Council-members," I say when I see that Armas is not alone. "Hello, Lakota. How are things going for Crystal Blood Pack?" A Council-member whose name I don't know asks. I explain that we have cleared most of our territory and that we have probably found the last of the foundations in the territory. "Any hints as to where to find the hidden territory?" Council-member Vivyanna asks, and I tell her what our search has given us so far, but I also tell her the thoughts we had on it being a ruse or why the remaining members couldn't tell anyone where the territory was. "Looks like you have come up with the same answers and questions we had, and you have found as many answers as we did; not much," she states, and I smile as I realize they had hoped we had a few more answers for them. "Lakota, why did you ask me to call you?" Council-member Armas asks. I tell him that Mylana's former Mate showed up, and after explaining everything, I inform him that none of them survived. "We burnt their bodies near the fork in the road and left their personal belongings inside a tree trunk. Just in case someone might want to come and get it," I finish my recount of the events. For a few minutes they are quiet, and I can see that they are talking through the mind-link to one another; I patiently wait until they have reached a decision. I know we did what we had to do to protect Mylana and her Pups, and if I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't change a thing. "Lakota, we will inform their Alpha and allow him to send two Warriors to get those belongings. You and your Father did what you had to do to protect your Pack; I thank you for informing us about it, and we will make sure their Alpha knows that they were in the wrong. He won't be allowed to retaliate," Council-member Armas says.