Maxwell's POV

　　Looking into the bemused face of my mate, I decided that she needed to know because we had no idea how things would play out over the next few days, and the last thing I wanted was to put her in danger!

　　"And miss out on a night of sex!" Rage smirked knowingly. 

　　"Seriously, you need spraying with cold water! You are like a dog in heat!" I laughed at my sex-crazed wolf.

　　"With all the shit we are dealing with, twenty-four hours feels like a lifetime!" He answered honestly, and he was right again! With the events of last night and this morning's preparations taking their toll on all in the pack. Mia and I had little to no time together! 

　　"Exactly, so the last thing we need is to be put on a sex ban!" He nodded firmly. 

　　"When you have finished with Rage if you wouldn't mind answering my question? That would be great!" Mia snapped, crossing her arms across her chest in a huff, unhappy at being out of the loop.

　　"Yes! It happened during the chaos last night. Marcus and I think her flight or fight kicked in and forced her wolf to come forward to protect her! Or the inhibitions of the night pulled on her and forced their hand and the bond to snap into place. Whatever the reason, they are mated, and THIS girl is about to cause war within our pack." I groaned, motioning to the redhead on the monitor.

　　"Why?" She asked inquisitively while uncrossing her arms and running her fingers down my chest from where she stood behind me. Groaning, pleasurably I lifted her hands and kissed them in turn.

　　"Because his obsession with her is already causing problems, and they are not even in the packhouse yet!" 

　　"I see", She answered, watching Jason on the laptop from where she nuzzled her head into the crook of my neck; turning slightly to peck her cheek, I focused my attention back on Jason, who was walking Abigail into the pack house, his hand on her lower back as Archer protectively flared in his eyes up at the camera, letting me know he was present and aware I was watching.

　　His behaviour made the whole situation so much more complicated, I may be the pack's Alpha, but Jason's wolf was a wild card that even I feared. Archer had all the strength of an incredible Alpha. Still, there was a darkness that ran through that wolf that we had managed thus far to keep from Jason, but when Archer felt threatened, insulted, or simply because of the fancy he took him, the beast he unleashed upon our pack and those I cared for and protected was unrivalled by any man, beast or demon I had ever seen. 

　　And thanks to the Blackwoods, I had seen my fair share of evil. And Archer could go either way; Mia and I had done our best to nurture him and show Jason AND Archer that their strength came from the pack and their family, not from Archer's abilities and cravings for destruction and complete annihilation.

　　"Do you think he will be a problem?" Mia asked, the concern for her son evident in her voice; she loved her children equally; I never doubted that, but Jason held a little piece of her heart hostage whenever Archer lost control. She blamed herself for him being the way he was, and no amount of reassurance from me would ever convince her otherwise.

　　"I don't know," I answered truthfully. "But if he is, we have taken measures to keep him and others safe!" I admitted as if on queue, Marcus mind-linked me. 

　　"She's spunky. I will give her that! She is almost normal!" I could hear the amusement in his voice which eased me slightly.

　　"How is Jasson holding up?" I asked, my tone light, not wanting to interfere too much; I trust Marcus' judgement- mostly.

　　"He is getting antsy, but he is ok; everyone is out. Just a few omegas in the kitchen; I had them stay not to alert Jason to our plans; I wanted things to look as normal as possible."

　　"And Tommy?" I asked while pulling Mia around the chair to sit on my lap.

　　"Here, Alpha, I am close by." He cut in respectfully. 

　　"You up for this, kid! If things go south, you might end up with more than a broken leg this time." I asked, nuzzling into Mias' neck, who was watching me patiently, her eyes flicking between the laptop and myself.

　　"I am, whoever that is! It's not my best friend any more!" The sadness in his voice bothered me. I knew there was more to their disagreement than he was letting on, I wanted to push for more and knew I could use my Alpha command if needed, but something told me it was personal and not to do with the pack or its safety.

　　Sending the command to everyone, including Jason, that the packhouse was closed, I waited for him to react, for Archer to flip out. Mia, beside me held her breath; I could feel the anticipation through the connection I had with Marcus and Tommy.

　　When nothing happened, we all let out a slow breath.

　　"He is onto you!" Mia said, pulling the laptop closer to observe her son closely. His eyes locked on the cameras, and behind the greens, I could see the red of Archer, the pair of them smirking at me as he followed Abigail around. 

　　"She is 18?" She questioned, and I nodded. 

　　"Then she is not his mate, surely?" She asked, her tone low and cautious as she worked things through in her head.

　　"I don't know. Isn't she a wolf? I admitted truthfully.

　　"Then what is she? What do we know about her?" Sighing, I braced myself and turned to look at my beautiful wife, knowing I was about to say a name I had promised I would never utter in her presence.

　　"We don't know much, just that the Blackwood boy wants her too! She is powerful and somehow involved with the fire yesterday!"

　　"Damien?"  She asked meekly, swallowing a breath.

　　"Yes, darling, but do not worry, she will not leave the pack dungeons until I am satisfied she is not a threat!" 

　　"And if she is?" She asked, nodding to indicate that Abigail and Jason had gone into the playroom where we had forgotten to clear out the children, my youngest included.

　　"Shit, Alpha!" Tommy grunted, "The omegas forgot to take the pups! Want me to go in?" 

　　"No, he is more likely to react if he sees you; I am on my way!" I started, looking at Mia; seeing the fear on her beautiful face fueled my anger toward our only son.

　　"Then I kill her! And send her body to the bastards who started this!" I announced with resolve, lifting Mia from my lap and settling her back in my chair, nodding. She returned her eyes to the screen nervously as I left to deal with our wayward son.