Romano The darkness is retreating again, and this time I have a feeling that I am getting closer to the surface of whatever I am in. Something feels different this time, and I slowly get a better feeling of my surroundings; I hear breathing right next to me. Torben is stirring in the back of my head as I turn towards the sound, and I can feel a smile spread across my face as my nose ends up in someone's hair. "Mate, she is here," he says, and my eyes fly open to see a blond sprawled across my chest. It is the young female I found in the diner, and I jump out of bed when I realize I left my Nephews in the forest. "Mano?" I hear the voice from my darkness ask. I turn around to see her staring at me, and a smile spreads across her face when I nod my head, just before she jumps into my arms. "Ivan, Malik," she yells over my shoulder, and in seconds I hear running footsteps behind me. "Uncle Mano, you woke up," I hear Ivan shout before I feel his arms wrap around my leg, and Malik wraps his arms around my other leg. "They both missed you, Mano," My Little Angel says. I place a hand on her cheek to look into her eyes, and I feel the sparks run down my arm; her eyes widen as she feels them too. "Hello, my Little Angel. What is your name?" I ask, and she whispers, "Josy," as she blushes, and I place a kiss on the tip of her nose. We stand there for a little while, and I bury my nose in the crook of her neck, inhaling her scent. Torben is purring in the back of my head as she wraps her arms tighter around my neck; I wonder how long I have been out for and where we are exactly. I don't want to let go of them, but I need to ask a few questions and maybe get something to eat; just as I think about food, my stomach starts to rumble. "Sounds like someone needs some food; why don't the three of you get dressed and I will make sure there will be breakfast by the time you are ready," My Little Angel says. "Waffles," Ivan says as Malik asks for pancakes; I place her on her feet, and she kisses both of them on their forehead before sending them out of the room. "Your clothes are in there," she says as she points at a dresser, and she pulls open the drawer of the nightstand to hand me the small bag I packed. "No one knows it was there, and I didn't look inside," she says before she gets on her tiptoes to kiss my jaw. "I will be right back, and during breakfast I will answer any questions you might have," she walks out of the room, and moments later she passes the door again, but this time she is wearing a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. I look down at the small bag in my hands and smile as I remember the necklace that is in there. It is a family heirloom, and I can't wait to give it to my Mate. I walk into the bathroom to take a shower, and when I look into the mirror I am surprised to see that my beard is neatly trimmed; looks like someone took good care of me while I was unconscious.I carefully remove the hair tie to take out the braid, and I let the water cascade down my back while my mind wanders back to my Little Angel. My eyes open wide when I remember the male voices I heard, and I know that two of those voices belong to Ivan and Malik, but I wonder who the other male in her life might be. By the time I am dressed, I smell the scent of food drifting into the room, and I allow myself to follow the scent to a scene that has me roaring—my Mate in the arms of another Male. "Mano, calm down," she says as she places her hand against my cheek. "Argos adopted me as his baby Sister; his own baby Sister can kick his ass if she wants," she says, making the male growl softly. Ivan is nodding his head rapidly while Malik is laughing, and I see the male looking at me with his hands raised in the air. "Sorry, I was just congratulating her on finally finding her Mate. I am glad you finally woke up, Romano. Those three have been very worried about you," he says. I wrap my arms around her waist to bury my nose in her neck; I inhale deeply to calm myself and Torben down. Argos is placing plates in front of Ivan and Malik, and I chuckle when I hear Ivan call him Uncle Argos; looks like I have been out for quite some time. "Okay, I will leave the four of you to your breakfast. If you need my help, just link me and I will be here as soon as I can," Argos says before he walks out of the room. We eat our breakfast in a comfortable silence, and I am glad Josy didn't object when I pulled her into my lap; Torben and I just need to have her as close to us as possible. Ivan and Malik are clearing the table when there is a knock on the door, and a second later the door opens to reveal a female that somehow feels familiar. "Well, I'll be damned. You finally decided to get out of bed, Romano," she says as she walks up to me, and I smile as I hear Josy giggle. "I am Alice, and I am the Pack-doctor for Crystal Blood Pack. How do you feel?" she asks. "I feel fine, no pain or anything like that. I haven't been able to ask any questions yet, but I have a feeling those three will be talking my ears off in a few minutes," I say, and my Little Angel swats my arm, while Ivan and Malik start objecting. Alice checks my vitals before she gives me the all clear. "Just take it easy for a while; you need to get your strength back," she says before she walks out of the door, and I turn towards Josy as she is making the two of us some coffee. "How long was I unconscious?" I ask her as I step behind her and wrap my arms around her waist. "Two weeks," she says, and I stiffen as I realize it would have given my enemies time to find our trail. "Mano, what is wrong?" she asks, but I can't answer that question with Ivan and Malik here. "Do you want me to link Argos?" she whispers, and I smile at the thoughtfulness of my Mate; I just nod my head at her question. Argos knocks on the door as he opens it. "I am looking for volunteers to clean up the mess from last night," he says as he walks towards us, and I smile when Ivan and Malik turn towards Josy for permission. "Go on, but you better listen to Uncle Argos or next time he can do it on his own," she says.The moment the door closes behind them, I pull her in my arms to kiss her—something I have wanted to do ever since I opened my eyes—and I pull her closer to my body. I let my hands roam her body as I let my tongue swipe her bottom lip, and when she gasps I snake my tongue inside her mouth, allowing a moan to escape her. I place my hands on her ass to lift her up, and she immediately wraps her legs around me; I slowly break the kiss to give her a chance to catch her breath. "I need to talk to your Alpha, Little Angel. It might already be too late, but he has a right to know what is heading his way," I say with my forehead against hers. "No offence, Mano. But why does everyone always assume that an Alpha is a male?" she asks, and I answer her truthfully. "I have never heard of a female Alpha in my life, and I am thirty-six years old." She looks at me with wide eyes. "Fuck, I am mated to an old man," she whispers; Torben is rolling around in my head as I just stare at her. She pecks my lips before she tells me their Alpha is a female, that their Pack was reinstated six years ago. "Alpha Lakota was lucky to have three fated Mates, even though we all wish she had never met her first Mate. Her second chance Mate died in her arms, and a year ago she found her third chance at happiness with our Beta." I let her words sink in before I say anything else; her Alpha is a very lucky female, and I can't wait to meet this extraordinary Alpha. "Alpha Lakota is in her office, and she has called in her leadership. She wants to know what happened to your family and what kind of trouble might come our way," My Little Angel says. She grabs my hand and starts walking towards the door. "Wait just a second, Little Angel," I say before I release her hand and walk into the bedroom to grab the small bag from the bed. I open it in front of her, and I see her eyes widen as she looks at the necklace I pull out of it. "This is a family heirloom, and I know Mom would want you to have it as my Mate," I explain. It is a crescent moon in blue topaz with a sleeping cub inside; she traces the moon with her fingers to rest it on the back of the cub. "It is gorgeous, Mano. I assume this means that you are a Bear shifter," she states, and I ask her how she figured that out. "Well, we are trained to smell the difference between Lycans, Wolves and Leopards. I met Alpha Lakota's second chance Mate, and because of that I know what a Mountain Lion smells like. Combine that knowledge with your size, and there aren't that many other options. If I had to guess, I would say that you are a Grizzly Bear," she answers, and I am stunned to find out her Alpha was mated to a Mountain Lion. "You are correct in your assumption; we are Grizzly Bears. Ivan and Malik will shift for the first time when they turn ten, and like them, their bears will grow until they turn eighteen," I say.