Conri We know there are Alphas that think the Council asks us to settle down in a Pack to spy on them; they don't want us on their territory as we will not become Pack-members, and they don't like being responsible for the safety of our Mates. In the past, some Alphas thought they could use a Squad that had settled on their territory but had been disappointed when the Council had stepped in to let them know that the Squad only answered to them and the King. It had made settling down on Pack territory a lot more difficult for a Squad. Nowadays, if a Squad settles down on a Pack's territory, it is the birth Pack of one of their members or one of their Mates; usually, there is still family living there, and that makes some things a lot easier. I know Alpha Amarah won't object to us settling down, and I know Mom will welcome all of us."Captain, there is something we might need to figure out. What about Umayza's protection detail?" I ask him, as I just realized she will still need protection, and I am not sure if the Council will assign her to our Squad as they did with Aziza. If they don't assign her to our Squad, I will be more at ease if her protection detail stays with her, but I also know that every Squad she has to work with will protect her with their lives. They will consider her one of their own because she is our Mate. Callan asks Evander where he wants to settle down, and his response makes me smile, "Wherever Umayza wants." Kane agrees with him; he doesn't care where we live as long as our Mate is there with us. I ask Malik what he will do now that he can't go back to his Pack. "I broke the Pack-bond after I put the chains and cuffs on them. I was there for a reason, and that reason is taken care of now. I will go back to my Brother and take some time to figure out what I want to do, maybe settle down somewhere permanently," he answers me. I think most of us will settle down somewhere; maybe some of them will finally find their Mate and even have a few Pups in the near future. It is something Evander and I talked about after we met Umayza, and we will let her decide on when that time comes; we will even accept it if she doesn't want Pups. Mylo and Kane had been a bit more reluctant to accept that, but pointing out to them we couldn't force her had made it a little easier, and asking them if they wanted her to reject us because we wanted something she didn't want finally brought them to their knees. There is one thing they hate more than not having Pups, and that is losing their Mate. Orion I feel a lot better knowing that Calliope will never be able to come after Umayza again. Jasper has grown very protective of his big Sister, and it is funny to hear him growl in my head when it comes to Umayza. He hates that he can't talk to Yade, but he told me that she is passed out just like Umayza. He disappears for a few seconds every now and then, and I know he is just checking up on Yade; it is what keeps him from going insane at the sight of our Sister. Armand told me earlier we will head back to the Academy once Umayza is awake, and I asked him why he included me. "Orion, your Sister won't leave you behind, and I think your Father would hand me my ass if I allowed her to leave you behind," he had said, and I had laughed at the image Jasper showed me of a Wolf kicking a Lycan's ass. It still feels strange thinking about my Father or about the fact he never understood why my Mother had left safety. Ma would tell me everything happens for a reason, but that that reason is not always clear in that moment, and I think she is right, just like I told Calliope. No one knows what our lives would have looked like if things had happened differently, and knowing what I know today, I am glad we lived our lives the way we have.I listen to Evander and Conri as they talk about their future with my Sister, and I know that Alpha Drew will allow them to settle on our Pack territory if they ask him, but I think Evander and Conri hope that Umayza will choose their birth Pack. I met their Alpha when I was a young Pup, and he had treated me the same way as my Pack-members do; I believe he had brought his Pups with him. A male and a female, and if I remember correctly, she was already a force to be reckoned with; she was a real female Alpha. "Evander, can I ask something?" I ask when I remember meeting Alpha Atlas. Evander tells me I can ask him anything. "Whether or not you get an answer is an entirely different subject," he says. "Is White Crescent Pack still led by Alpha Atlas?" I ask. "No, five years ago he stepped down, and Amarah took over from him," he answers, and I smile as I remember the young female I met. "How many Alphas has she pissed off by now?" I ask him, and he and Conri are in stitches, but Malik asks me why the hell I would ask something like that."I met her when I was a young Pup, and I could already tell she could piss someone off just by looking at them. She pissed off a few of the High-ranking Pups in my Pack, and she only looked at them without uttering a word," I explain, and Malik looks at me as if that is impossible. After Conri explains what happened with a few of their alliances after Atlas had announced he was stepping down, Malik growled. "Those Alphas didn't know Alpha Amarah; my Alpha always said she would make a better Alpha than most of the Alphas he knew," I reply. Conri asks me how my Alpha knows his Alpha so well. "Alpha Drew has an alliance with White Crescent Pack, and he has seen your Alpha grow up. She even asked Luna Jess for help to organize a surprise party," I answer him, and he tells me he remembers their Mother talking about it. "If for some reason you are unable to settle down in your birth Pack, I believe Alpha Drew will be more than happy to take you in. I have to warn you though, I think Ma will be at your house more than her own," I say, and Evander tells me Ma is more than welcome as long as she cooks for them. Yonatan looks a little disappointed at Evander, and Conri tells him he can cook on the days Ma is busy in the Pack-house. "Don't worry, Yonatan. Once Ma finds out you like cooking as much as she does, you will never leave the kitchen again," I say teasingly. Captain Armand tells everyone it is time to turn in for the night, and within a few minutes, it is just the three of us left. I grab a few mattresses from the rooms and move them into the living room. Evander gets up to help me lay them on the floor in front of the couch. Conri and Evander gently place her in the middle, and they lay down on either side of her. I place my head near her head after I get onto the couch. Jasper has left me again, but I know he will be back in a few seconds, and when he tells me that Yade is breathing normally again, I listen to Umayza's breathing."I think she might wake up in the morning; her breathing has also gone back to normal," I whisper, just before I drift off to sleep.