The idea of a world without her was something I couldn’t abide. Knowing that the Mother had granted her a guardian that would help tighten the safety net around her?

It felt like I’d been given a double dose of Valium, especially in the face of my new position.

Just three days in, and sharing a job with Ethan was a helluva lot different from suddenly being the one who enforced shit on my own. With Ethan tied up with more work, and Eli struggling to figure out a way to overturn the council without toppling the pack into chaos?

We needed all the help we could get.

Throw in the fact that I was trying to help them with their jobs, and Ethan was still being contacted by some of the pack, even though they had to know I was the only enforcer—shit was confusing to say the least.

“I wish to introduce you to Sabina Highbanks,” Eli announced. “Our new omega.”

The whispers were there, surging to the fore, merging around us, and Sabina tensed somewhat as she evidently keyed in on their mutters.

They weren’t necessarily excited, more curious.

I figured that was the best we could hope for.

“While she takes that position, and Ethan settles into the new role as pack beta, don’t forget that Austin is still enforcer. Our duty to you has not changed, however, what is unusual is that the three of us are bound to the omega.”

“She’s that powerful, Alpha?”

Trust Maggie May to be the one who dared speak out at that moment.

Conrad muttered, “Shut up, Margaret!”

Maggie just grunted and focused on Eli. “Son?”

I ignored Conrad and replied, “Yes. She’s that powerful. Capable of more than you’re ready to hear, but as she learns her way, she’ll be our guiding light.”

Sabina was tense in my arms, and I knew that came from being at the center of attention. As beautiful as she was, as confident, being stared at by a bunch of people you didn’t know was just never on someone’s to-do list.

I couldn’t blame her for being nervous. She was in a circle of creatures that, until recently, would have inspired terror in the heart of any human if they were aware of what we truly were.

We’d known she’d respond this way. Omegas were, after all, incredibly empathic, and here, at this moment, with the pack in great upheaval, it was a wonder she was standing.

That was why when Eli tipped his face to the totem, then angled his head back to stare up at the moon, and hollered, “And now, we run!” I grabbed her and held her back.

He shifted without stripping, which was a waste of clothes, but who was I to judge, which prompted everyone in the vicinity except for Ethan, myself, and Sabina to shift in turn.

That right there was proof of why we belonged to be where we were in the pack.

Might ruled in these situations, because might was goddess granted, and that was the truth of it.

Seconds after he’d transformed, the pack was all furry. Eli looked at me and waited for me to nod to check in with him. Then, Ethan shifted and started to run with Eli toward the edge of the circle where they’d lope into the forest.

For the rest of the night, they’d play and run and walk as wolves, but me and Sabina?

We wouldn’t, because something was holding her back, and it was on me as the only normal one of her three mates to uncover what was wrong.

When I grabbed her chin and gently twirled her to look at me, I saw she was relieved to be standing here in her human skin, and I shook my head at her. “You’ll have to run with them soon.”

A hum escaped her. “That’s not my purpose.”

I arched a brow. “What do you mean?”

“The alpha, beta, and enforcer run with them.” Her lips twitched. “They don’t need me. I hate running.”

Nose crinkling, I told her, “It’s different as a wolf. You’ll love it. You liked it on the other plane, didn’t you?”

“I did. But that was different. Here, I’m not supposed to do that. I’m not supposed to run with you.”

I frowned at her, because she either sounded incredibly certain or she was really good at bullshitting me.

Who knew, it was probably both.

A laugh escaped her, and she elbowed me in the belly, before she muttered, “Gotcha.”

I rolled my eyes. “I knew you were bullshitting.”

She sniffed. “No, you totally didn’t.” But it didn’t stop her from snatching my hand, turning me to face the totem, and asking, “I wasn’t sure if you could shift with clothes on.”

My brow furrowed. Was that the issue? I’d have thought days of being naked in the other realm would have calmed her down. “You can. It wrecks your clothes. If you’re powerful enough, it even makes them disappear.”

“Why?”

I scoffed, “Like I’d know. The Mother works in mysterious ways.”

Her lips twitched, but she scanned the totem with an attention to detail that surprised me. “Isn’t it strange?” she eventually commented.

“Strange ain’t the word, doll,” I replied wryly, not particularly interested in the totem, even though I knew she was, because hell, I’d seen it all my life. It was the exact opposite of completely new to me.

She glanced at me, then muttered, “I’d never have said that to Eli.”

My lips curved, and I squeezed her hand. “I know, but he’s all bark and no bite where you’re concerned.”

She shrugged. “Probably wouldn’t have said it to Ethan either.”

I sighed, tugged on her hand, and swirled her backward into me so that she was leaning against me once more. “They’re your mates. You can say whatever you want to them, and if they don’t like it, well, it won’t cause a war. You’ll just argue. Simple.”

“I hate arguing.” She sighed. “I’m not very good at it, plus, it’s such a waste of energy. There are much better things I’d prefer to do.”

“Oh?” I teased, grinning when she shimmied against me.

“Yeah, oh,” she remarked wryly, “but not just that, I don’t want to offend anyone.”

“What do you mean?”

She hummed. “When everyone stepped into the circle tonight, I heard a cluster of whispers.”

“You did? That’s great news!” Anything that enabled her to be more at one with her powers was for the good. We’d need all the skills the Mother granted her to take the pack forward to where it needed to be.

None of us were exactly sure where that was, but we figured we’d find out once it started to unfold.

“Yeah, but not.” Her nose crinkled much as mine had earlier, and I watched as she ducked her head between her shoulders and muttered, “I don’t think Merinda was very popular.”

I thought about that, then shrugged. “Probably not. Eli doesn’t realize that though. He thought the moon rose and fell on her.”

“She was his mom. Of course, he thought that,” she chided softly.

I just hummed. “She was mine too… I think that’s a measure of the woman. For her to do what she did? It says a lot about her.”

“I agree. I was just surprised is all. I thought they’d be hostile to having a new omega because they loved the old one so much, but they weren’t. Aren’t. They’re curious about me. A little nervous, a lot wary. They can scent I’m a wolf child, but they also sense my power and are happy if Eli is.” She looked thoughtful for a second. “The council is going to be trouble.”