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"We'll set up the interrogation for tomorrow," Kelly said as we all walked out.

"I need to give the commanding officers some time to set things up.

In the meantime, you will remain inside your house.

" She looked up when Finn, Slade, Brandon, and Aaron came rushing over.

"Aaron, some of your unit mates will be guarding the house tonight.

She can't leave under any circumstances. Just giving you a heads up."

"Guess you get out of dinner tonight, love," he said to me. He tried smiling, but I could see the tension around his eyes. The rest held their tongues, with some effort.

"No bonding party for you," I said to Finn. I wanted to smile, but my face wouldn’t obey. This wasn't fair, none of it was. "You deserve better than this."

He smiled despite my expression, putting an arm around me.

There it was, thrumming hard, like my heartbeat.

I closed my eyes for a second and let it all fall away.

Finn held me, all of me. Just then, I didn't need to strive, try, or act on anything.

I was just seen, felt, heard. It was almost timeless, the moment could have gone on for seconds or hours, I couldn't tell, my defences were momentarily down.

Which is perhaps why the black wolf chose to reach out to me now.

Soon, little queen.

My eyes jerked open, Finn's arm tightening around me as he stared at me, eyes wide.

"I'll be attending," he said to Kelly, staring at her until she nodded slowly.

"Just you, and perhaps Aaron,” she replied. “I’ll be by around 8 tomorrow morning. Be ready to go when I arrive. Julie.” She nodded to me before turning on her heel and walking away.

"Give her here," Brandon said as soon as she was gone. He threw his arms around me, hugging me tight. "You came to see me."

I heard the catch in his voice, felt the bite of his fingers. "It's not your fault."

"I was out doing a fucking delivery for the queens, and you had to go through that? Fuck, Jules. One of us needs to be with you at all times until we've got this sorted. You've got two mates, now."

"Mates, not bodyguards or jailers." I looked up as Aaron crossed his arms over his broad chest. "I can't live in everyone's pockets."

"Jules..." Brandon's grey eyes were stark against his pale skin. "I'm on indefinite leave because they know the moment I go back to Stores, I'm going to rip Sonny's fucking head off."

"Not if I get there first," Finn growled.

"Those fucking bastards. They had to know that there was something wrong, that she wasn't in her right mind."

"I don't think they were either, mate." The two of them stared at Slade.

"You think I don't know what you feel? I was lying on the bed, stroking one off, half out of my mind with heat fever while my bloody mate walked right into a pack of rabid wolves.

But I felt it, Aaron felt it. It was like heat, but so much more.

It was... fucking alienating in its intensity.

I would have done anything right then to get off, anything.

" He shook his head then patted his pockets for a cigarette.

"Let’s get our mate home, where we can contain whatever the fuck is going on, and get ready to pound that interloping bastard into the ground if he doesn't start giving us some answers. "

And that was that. Everyone nodded and started to walk over to the cars.

"The boys will keep you safe," Aaron said as we went, clasping my hand in his. "Don't worry."

I was worried. Of course, I was worried.

I could almost feel him on my shoulder, the black wolf, a monkey on my back ready to steer me in whatever direction he wanted, and I didn't know why.

Why was he so keen for me to bond with the guys?

I looked at Finn's strong back as we walked, his eyes flicking back to me, unable to let me out of sight for more than a few minutes.

That would have happened anyway, wouldn't it?

I hated the feeling I was always on someone else's timetable—the black wolf's, my heat, whatever.

When we got home, men in khaki were stationed around the house, and Aaron stopped to talk to a few of them, perfectly comfortable with the big guns they were toting.

I stayed with him, holding his hand. He'd had the least of my time, this was not how we did things when he was off roster.

He noted this with a shy smile, something that kept going throughout a subdued dinner.

"This is lovely," I said belatedly as we ate.

"The little woman does know how to put on a fine spread," Jack said, patting his knee as Hawk passed around yet more dishes. "C'mere and give Daddy some sugar."

"Fuck off, Jack," Hawk said. "I'm glad you like it. We'll have leftovers for days. I figured there'd be more people around."

A knock came from the front door before I could reply. Buddy scrambled to his feet, bounding over to the door with his tail wagging.

"I'll get it," Aaron said, getting to his feet and pulling a gun from his waistband. When had he put that there?

"I'm sorry this is unannounced, but we wanted to come and congratulate the happy couple."

We all turned to see Ophelia and another woman come through the door, toting casserole dishes.

"Finn, darling," Ophelia said, holding out her arms to him.

"Hey, Nana, thanks for coming," Finn said as he wrapped his arms around her.

Nana? My eyebrows shot up. I looked across at Jack who just rolled his eyes and nodded. They were cousins?

"And my clever Jack. How are you finding your new situation?" He stepped up to take his hug, his usually acerbic expression softening for a moment.

"Hawk's happy, so I am."

She nodded, despite his close-mouthed declaration.

"And the ever-patient Hawk. Give me a hug."

"Nice to see you, Auntie," he said, enfolding the women in his arms.

"I'm Grace, Finn's mum," a beautiful woman with long auburn hair and grey eyes said. I got to my feet and took the dish she held out.

"Hi, I'm Jules. This smells delicious! Come and sit down. We need to find some more chairs."

"On it," Brandon said, disappearing down the hallway.

"Thanks for coming, Mum," Finn said, wrapping his arm around the much smaller woman. "You got the news?"

"Yes." She looked from him to me. Like most mothers, she seemed to be able to hold a whole world of information in one word. "Finn, are the two of you OK? The things people are saying... You didn't call?"

"Sorry, Mum. Things have been just insane. I got into a dominance fight with half the single blokes..."

"He's a man who was experiencing the first flush of his mate bond and had her taken away from him in handcuffs, Grace," Ophelia said gently.

"That was..." Grace shook her head. "A bad business."

"So you're Ophelia's daughter? Kelly's sister? Sorry," I said. "The family trees here seem kinda..." Don't say incestuous, don't say incestuous. "Convoluted."

Grace went to reply, but Ophelia said, "No, though I would have been proud to have a daughter like Grace. My son, Max, was one of Finn's fathers.”

“Oh.”

Silence hung over the room for a moment as everyone noted their conspicuous absence.

“Max was sent through the gate for insubordination,” Ophelia said.

I saw Grace pale as she took a seat, her hands restlessly shifting the place setting around until it was just so.

“Finn’s other fathers, Grey and Rhydian, went with him into exile.

But that was an ugly, ugly business. Let’s eat, shall we? ”

I watched Ophelia take a seat at the end of the table, sitting between Hawk and Jack, regal as a queen.

“Why aren’t you alpha of Sanctuary?” I said.

I probably shouldn’t have. There was no doubt a good reason for this, one no one wanted to talk about, but I was pretty much done with the secrecy.

Sanctuary was just that, a lovely safe place to land, but there was so much secret squirrel shit going on.

"I was, for a very long time, and then my daughter challenged me and she won. Now, could someone please pass me the mashed potatoes?"

The rest of the meal went by peacefully.

I watched the interactions closely, trying to get a sense of how everyone fit together.

We'd been existing in the hothouse of the honeymoon cottage for some time since I'd shifted, and this was one of the few chances I'd had to see how things worked on the bonded side of Sanctuary.

Ophelia was a natural leader, charismatic, keeping the conversation flowing and making sure to include everyone in it. I wondered what it must be like to be her daughter and alpha. I was supposed to be the hostess, but I was little more than a player in the scene she carefully orchestrated.

As was Grace. Finn's mum was quiet throughout the meal, smiling and contributing when prompted, but otherwise, just a silent presence on the other side of Finn. When it all wound down and dessert was finished, the two of them got up to go.

"I'll be by tomorrow," Ophelia said. "You can't be expected to come to my home now that the alpha has instated this ridiculous house arrest." She smiled when she saw my expression. "Don't worry, it won't be too early. You have quite the number of men to attend to."

"I want answers, Ophelia," I said. "I don't need therapy, just some clues about what's going on, so I can make the best decisions."

"Of course, darling. All I know is yours to command. Grace?"

Finn's mum stepped forward from where she was giving her son one last hug. "I'll walk home. Need to burn off some of that amazing food Hawk cooked."

"Very well, goodnight all."

And then it was Ophelia, out.

"Julie, can you see me out?" Grace asked, coming closer.

"Of course?—"

"I'll come with," Finn said.

"No, darling, the boys look like they need some help putting all that food away in the kitchen. You go."

Her voice was gentle, her hand on his shoulder light, yet even I noted the thin note of steel within her tone. He nodded, caught my eye for a second, and then turned to leave.