Magnus’ p.o.v. Dad opens the door after we hear a knock and Captain Miles walks in with a grim look on his face. “Okay, give it to us straight. Who is he, where does he come from and how did he get into the territory?” Dad fires the questions at Captain Miles. “His name is Iniko and his Mother is Zaphara’s Aunt. Iniko’s Father died about eight years ago and his Mother was forced to become their Alpha’s fourth Mate.” Captain Miles says. Okay, that doesn’t sound too good to me. It doesn’t explain the grim looks on the faces of Captain Miles and Meadow, though. “Iniko’s Mother is dying and the Alpha has already chosen his fifth Mate. Iniko’s nineteen year old Daughter, Marley.” Captain Miles continues and I hear a few growls coming from my Betas and Gammas. “Has this Alpha lost his fucking mind? From which Pack is Iniko?” Dad asks and I don’t think there was anything that could have prepared us for the answer. “Seven Cloud Pack.” Captain Miles and Meadow say in unison. Like the others, Gilliam releases a mighty roar and I am glad that I have Milcah by my side; otherwise, we would have more Shifters on our hands than two Mountain Lions. Mom opens a window to let Barison and Gossom out; they need to run off their anger and from experience, I know it might take a few hours. “Alpha Devlin knows about the Belleron bloodline and he hopes that Marley can give him those abilities, because her Grandmother failed.” Captain Miles continues. “Iniko was hoping that he could save Marley if he brought Zaphara to Alpha Devlin.” Zaphara and Meadow have to do their damndest to keep Elder Major from shifting, because Arion will make a beeline for the dungeons and tear Iniko to pieces. His thought process was flawed, but you can’t fault him for trying to save his Daughter. “Does Iniko know why his Mother is dying?” Milcah asks and for a moment, I stare at her. “If Alpha Devlin is neglecting his Mate and cheating on her, their bond is slowly fading and it can kill her and her Shifter.” Where did my Mate get all this information from? I don’t think I ever heard of it during my studies and I have had many useless studies to go through. “I was locked in on the Alpha floor, remember. I had to do something with my time. Mom made her drawings and I read every book and article I could get my hands on.” Milcah explains. “You said it can kill my Aunt and her Shifter. Is there a way to prevent it?” Zaphara asks and for her sake, I hope there is a way to save her Aunt. Milcah nods her head, but seems to be far away in thought. Probably trying to remember how she can save her Mother’s Aunt, who by default is also my relative.“A healer can prevent her Shifter from dying, which will ultimately save the Human.” Milcah answers and I can feel defeat wash over Zaphara. Damn, now I hate my ability. “Mom, it hasn’t been forty eight hours yet. Who knows what might happen in the next day and a half.” Milcah says and Zaphara’s head snaps up. Sounds like Zaphara forgot something about her own bloodline, but luckily, Milcah remembered. “In the first forty eight hours after marking and mating, we get our abilities. In most cases, they only have one ability and usually share it. In some cases, they get more than one ability, but not all of them are shared.” Zaphara says. “How can you tell if you have received more than one ability?” Dad asks. I already know the answer, because some abilities aren’t used on a day to day basis. In my opinion, only time can tell us if we possess more than one ability and what it might be. “Our Shifters will be able to tell after forty-eight hours, and they will also know which abilities they have. If we have to wait until we actually need them to find out, we won't know how to use them." Milcah answers. Gilliam is laughing in the back of my head, because he apparently already knew this. Of course, he knew; he was the one who warned me about the intruder. “Captain Miles, inform the Elders. I think it is time that we deal with Alpha Devlin and Seven Cloud Pack, once and for all.” Dad says and Captain Miles doesn’t waste time. He pulls his phone from his back pocket and a moment later, he is talking to Elder Josiah. It is clear from the conversation that the Elders want to run it by the King first. I just hope we have time for that. “Elder Josiah, there is an innocent woman’s life at stake and a forceful marking of a nineteen year old. I want an answer within the hour or I am taking action without approval from the King.” Captain Miles says before he disconnects the call. “If your threat backfires, I have a spot for you with my Elite Warriors.” Dad says. The door opens to reveal Malek and Mauro. Both look a lot calmer and it took them less time than I had expected. “Myka, did you remove everything from the meeting room?” Meadow asks and with a smile on his face, he shakes his head. We have barely entered the meeting room when Captain Miles’ phone starts ringing and I see a surprised look on his face. “Your Majesty, I hadn’t expected a call from you personally.” Captain Miles says. “Yes, we have confirmation on the two victims.” We all listen as the King is ranting about Alpha Devlin and his twisted ideas. He hates the man’s fucking guts and none of us blame him. Even though there has never been any evidence against the leadership of Seven Cloud Pack, we all know that they are responsible for many deaths in the Royal family. Their latest victim was the King’s fated Mate and their unborn child. “Yes, Your Majesty. If I had another Squad at my disposal, I could deal with this matter. I also have Alpha Lincoln’s cooperation.” Captain Miles says. No one has to explain to the King why my Father would be willing to help him stay on the Throne.