"You haven't marked her yet?" The disappointment in his tone was there; I slumped my shoulders.

"Well, of course not; you can't do that to a human. You, of all people, should know that. We didn't seal the deal for at least a few weeks!" Clara's voice squealed.

"That was different. If you weren't under some magic shit, I would have taken you the day of." Clara rolled her eyes and pet his cheek.

"Whatever you say," she nuzzled his neck, instantly relaxing the beast of a Werewolf.

"I'm sure my sons disappointed you since you had to rescue them from the pound. Maybe that's why you haven't mated to them yet. They were caught by mere humans and slept in a cold cage for months," he scoffed back a laugh. "I know I wouldn't mate some Alpha princes if they were caught in a human snare!"

Clara scowled while both my mates rubbed their faces and squirmed in their seats. "Your muscle mass is less too; I expect you to still be training, mate or not," he ordered.

"Yes, sir," they both slumped in their seats. Dax had his head tilted down, frowning. Hands hanging lifeless over his knees. Dimitri looked about the same; he weaved his hands through his hair, wincing at his father's harsh words. I couldn't read Kane; he had a tough exterior to him, so far, I wasn't the biggest fan, but the boys loved him and had talked about him often. They would spar together, go on long runs and even tell stories of his days before meeting his mate. To make sure they didn't follow in the same footsteps. Now, his father chastises them, the man or Wolf they looked up to when they hit their first significant leadership role. I'm sure he messed up quite a bit in his life.

"King Kane, Sir. I think you are being too harsh on my mates. They were the first to encounter the gas months ago. They survived and kept the lives of Werewolves a secret while being captive. They also led the way to a frontal assault yesterday with the silver gas infiltrating the air!" Kane had good intentions, but he was doing it the wrong way. "You need to give them more credit." I crossed my arms, narrowing my eyes. Kane was on the other side of a glass ball; he couldn't do anything now. Later I might be in trouble, but these were my babies. I adopted them myself, and even if they get a verbal lashing from their father, I'll speak right back. They have done nothing but a fantastic job so far. Take that beast, man.

Kane's jaw ticked.

Clara, realizing the conversation was becoming a train wreck, perked up and began to ask questions about me to distract the tension. My likes, dislikes what I knew about their world and how excited she was when we would finally meet. She was excited to hear that I didn't take things as bad as they could have gone. At least I didn't walk in on some Wolves mating as Clara did. Her arm got ripped out of her socket because Raine, Kane's sister, pulled her out of danger. She would have been attacked for disrupting the mating couples’ intimate moment. Talk about bad luck. Meeting my mates and finding out about Werewolves went much smoother. Except for the whole Bear chasing thing, that was a bit weird.

"Mom, this isn't just about meeting Seraphina," Dax butted in. "We've got some problems, and we need a warrior team dispatched right away." Kane sat up in the chair; he nodded off while Clara listened to my dynamic story of finally meeting her boys in human form.

"But it was getting to the good part, they were dancing with her, and that Jonas jerk came up, I want to hear the rest," Clara whined, slumping her shoulders, pretending to cry.

"Mom, I promise," Dimitri smiled brightly at his mother. "You both will spend a ton of time together, but time is an issue here." Clara nodded. "You know how to win me over, don't you, baby?" Dax and Kane snorted a laugh, but Dimitri gave no mind. He was the baby; he owned that title. My little Thumper.

"The mafia is after Seraphina, more specifically, her father," Dax growled.

"The fuck is a mafia?" Kane pulled Clara to his lap, wrapping his arms around her tiny waist. Dax looked at me; taking a deep breath, I spilled it. I spilled it all.

"The mafia is a bunch of organized criminals," I began. "It's an organization that uses extortion and other criminal methods to gain money. They can be in business, underground fighting rings, selling weapons, drugs, they have their hands in everything, especially my, uh, father. He's the Don, the head guy. He can find out information about anyone or anything and make your life a living hell." Dax interlaced his fingers with mine, instantly soothing my worry.

"This mafia guy," Dimitri added, "is the one supplying these silver gas grenades?" Dimitri looks at me for the right word. "They explode a few seconds later when a pin is pulled. Anything lower than an Alpha can have serious side effects. We've lost four mated couples, and it was powerful enough to knock an Alpha out for a few days if it reaches the lungs."

Kane sat back in his chair, scratching his chin. "Alright, we are sending in the best warriors for this." Dax and Dimitri’s fists pumped each other, feeling they had won. "But we are coming too." Their excitement was crushed.

"We got this," Dax babbled. "We just need to plan to lure her father out, and then we will crush them." Dax' biceps flexed, and I couldn't help but rub it. He smiled, planting a kiss on my forehead.

"No," Kane growled. "If what Seraphina says is true, we might be dealing with something too large for even us. If he has his hands in the pockets of anyone in that realm, what makes you think it will stay on Earth? What if he is working with rogues, Dark fairies, or Sorcerers? You do not have enough experience to handle this on your own. I hope you are wise enough to understand this." The tone was final; the veins in his neck were thrumming. Clara's hand cupped his face, kissing him gently on the lips.

"Come back to me, Alpha." Sweetly rubbing his face, he backed down. The hair on his neck no longer stood up straight as he nuzzled into her neck. "We will be there in the next day or so. We will travel light. We will need provisions and places to stay once we arrive. Five hundred warriors and two hundred trackers. I hope Alpha Big Claw has his large tents available." Dimitri nodded.

"They do; thank you for this, mom, dad." Clara grinned hesitantly.

"I think he's right on this, guys," I put my hand on both of their inner thighs. "Dario Rinaldi is not a guy we should take lightly. He will do anything to win," I said seriously. Both attacked me with kisses on my neck and cheeks. Squealing a few times, they let up, only to grip me by the waist. They were my very own corset.

"I can't wait to meet you, Seraphina! I've waited for this day a long time! And do not worry, we will take care of your father, and no harm will come to you while the boys are around." Clara jumped in Kane’s lap who grunted at the trauma to his pierced thingy.

"You see," I interjected. "I'm not sure the Don is even my father?" I picked my nails, looking innocently at my mates.

"What do you mean?" Dimitri took my other hand, causing me to stop picking my nails. It was a terrible habit, but I couldn't help myself. When I get nervous, I can make my nails bleed for hours.

"I'm not sure if it was a dream or a memory. I fell asleep last night, and... it felt real. My mother was there, and she told me a love story about an Elf and a woman who met after the passing of a family member. They spent a few nights together. The woman returned to her husband because she wanted to save the Elf from his wrath. She got pregnant and had a baby. She told the story like it was someone else, but then she whispered in my ear that he gave her a gift, and it was me."

Clara's mouth dropped. "This is so exciting! A mystery Elf!!" Clara jumped up and down in her seat, squealing like a little girl. Kane sat forward, watching her breasts heave up and down. "Maybe they were mates! Oh, that is even better!"

"Wait, wait, we don't even know if this dream was real!" I interjected.

"Once you meet your mate, or in your case, mates, you can unlock memories. That is natural in the supernatural world, honey. Happened to me; it happens with others. Trust me, this dream sounds real. An Elf is really your father!" Clara fanned herself with her hand.