Lance The moment Lakota grabs my hand I am stunned for a second, until I hear her say that Quinn went into labor. I know she is happy for Quinn and Cian, but I have seen a sad look in her eyes every time she looks at them, and I know she realizes that it will be something she will never have. I sit close to her as we wait for news about Quinn, and Bolt and I try to comfort her as much as we can. We have grown protective of them over the past six months, and I have made sure she has been busy helping her Father in rebuilding this territory and our Pack. The search for the hidden territory is a good way to keep her mind off Jake, and from time to time I make her talk about him; I won't allow her to push it to the back of her mind. He was her second chance Mate, and I hope one day she will tell me what she read in those journals he gave to me. I don't think she has read them yet, and it might take a long time before she does, but I hope it will give her some sense of closure. She rushes towards Quinn after she has hugged Cian, and I take a look at our newest Pack-member as he is asleep in his Great-uncle's arms."What is his name?" Josy asks, and I see a dumbfounded look on Cian's face; he apparently forgot that his Son needs a name. We all follow him into Quinn's room, and she smiles at him before she answers Josy's question. "His name is Crimson, after his Grandfather." Cian and Kobal just stare at her. We know that Cian's Father died after a Rogue snuck up on him during patrol, and his Mother died hours after him of the broken Mate-bond. Crimson was an excellent Gamma for his Pack, and Cian hopes he will be able to make his parents proud, even if they are no longer here. Fifteen minutes later, Alice kicks us all out of the room, and Kobal reluctantly hands Crimson back to his Mother. He kisses the top of Quinn's head before he hugs his Nephew, and he is the last one to exit the room. Lakota is talking to Josy as we all head back to the Pack-house for dinner, and I know she will start Crimson's file tonight. She has been making sure that every file has been kept up to date, and she has talked to every Pack-member to find out if something was missing from their files, adding information if it wasn't in there yet. She made me attend those meetings, and I am glad she did, because I learned a lot about every member of our Pack. As the future Beta I need to know that information just as she does as the future Alpha, even though it will take a few more months before she takes over from her Father. Lakota herself asked him not to hand over the Pack until we have this territory cleared and rebuilt for the most part. I join Lakota after dinner in the Alpha's office; she is updating Cian and Quinn's files and starts on Crimson's file for our Archives. I mark the new foundation on our map; I wonder what the building was used for, and I look at the remainder of the territory we need to clear. Only the area surrounding Mylana's cottage has to be cleared, and then we can start rebuilding the structures that had once been in this territory. I doubt we will find any foundations around the cottage, and I am more and more convinced that if there is a hidden territory, it was used as a hiding place for the weaker Pack-members. A hand on my shoulder pulls me from my thoughts, and without thinking about it I place my hand over hers as I point at the map. "I think we uncovered the last foundation today. It would surprise me if we found any foundations near Mylana's cottage; there is not enough space around there," I say. She doesn't release my hand as she sits down next to me to look at the map as well, and I hear Bolt purr softly in the back of my head. "Lance, did you notice that the backdoor is at a rather odd position?" She asks me as she draws the lay-out on a piece of paper. Lakota After updating the files of Quinn and Cian and creating a new file for Crimson, I look up to see Lance staring at the map; he doesn't even notice it when I stand next to him. I place my hand on his shoulder, and Lotus softly purrs as he places his hand over mine. We both stare at the lay-out of the foundation I drew; Lance is still holding on to my hand, and Lotus makes sure I know that she doesn't want me to let go. It doesn't feel as awkward as I had thought; after all, he isn't my Mate, and I had figured I would never feel comfortable around a male that isn't my Mate. I had noticed it a few times over the past few months, but Lotus and I haven't been able to figure out why he doesn't make us feel uncomfortable, and we finally just accepted the fact that it is what it is. Lance is the only male in our Pack that can be this close to us for a long time without it becoming awkward. It's not that I can't sit next to Colton or Kobal, but if they are too close I feel the need to get up, and even though Kobal was my bodyguard a long time ago, Lotus and I don't like it when he touches us for too long. It doesn't bother any male that I won't allow them to stay too close, and I am glad that they don't make me feel bad about it. "Why don't we ask Peter to take a look at the foundation? Maybe he has an idea why they would place the backdoor at that location," Lance suggests, and I decide to wait until tomorrow to see if anyone might think of the same reason as I did; to me it is the only logical explanation. After I have linked Peter, I tell Lance he will meet us after our morning meeting, and we both get up to leave the office. I walk towards the living room to see if anyone is still awake. Dad and Kobal are discussing training, and Argos just got out of his seat to wish us all goodnight. I wake up to the sound of loud voices, and I quickly grab some sweatpants and a shirt; I run out of my room as soon as I am dressed. I run down the stairs as the voices become louder, and I have linked Lance to get his ass out of bed. I am not the only one that woke up to the voices, and I feel the presence of Dad and Kobal right behind me. Josy is yelling at one of the Warriors that they should wake us, but he yells back that it isn't necessary. "We are awake, so why don't you tell us what is wrong, Josy," I say, and both of them spin around towards us. "There are Wolves roaming around our south border, and this Idiot thinks it is not necessary to inform any of you," Josy says as she looks at the Warrior. "Colton has two Warriors keeping an eye on them; if they come too close to our border they have orders to wake you, Alpha Keir," he answers, and I understand why Colton made this decision; why wake us if they don't get any closer to our border. "Lance, why don't you and I take a look. If they are passing by and try to avoid the main road, we will just allow them, but if it is something else we can take care of it immediately," I say as I start walking. Lance follows me while Dad and Kobal talk to Josy and the Warrior. We are close to the entrance of the territory when Colton links me that some of the Wolves are moving closer to the border, and I let him know that Lance and I are almost there. I can smell the scent of Wolves that don't belong to our Pack; there are four of them approaching our border. Through the mind-link I tell Lance to warn Peter while I will warn Dad about their presence; I am not taking any risks with Mylana and Rory, as I don't know these Wolves. Colton tosses a few shots in their direction. One of the Wolves is checking me out, and both Colton and Lance growl at him. "Our Alpha is on his way; I suggest you shift to your Human form," I say as Lance and Colton stand on either side of me. The moment the last one of them shifts back, I link Mylana, "Stay in your cottage. Asshole just showed up," I tell her, and she says that Peter and Jazzy have already put her and the Pups in the saferoom. I hear paws pounding on the ground, and I know that Dad wants to scare the shit out of them by approaching them in his Lycan form. I smile as I see Dad with Kobal and Argos coming from the tree line, and I see the fear in their eyes as they see three Lycans approaching. Colton has three shots in his hands, and Dad is the first one to shift back to his Human form. "I am the Alpha of this Pack. State your business," he growls at the four males, and Asshole steps forward as he looks me up and down again; this time Argos and Kobal growl at him. "I am here to get my Mate," he states, and I turn towards Lance when I feel his body stiffen. "I don't think he understands that I can't be his Mate; after all, it isn't the Days of the Full Moon and I already found my second chance Mate," I say to him, and Lance looks at me with a smile on his face before he places his hand on my lower back.