Knowing what she now knew didn’t stop Caia from being disturbed by this version of Vanne. He was a mighty good actor. Every time she had met with him and Marita inside the Center she could have sworn he was a loyal husband and devout Daylight. Ignoring the impulse to gape openly at him as if he were nuts, Caia held her hand out to Reuben. “I’ll take that.”

He chuckled and threw her a flirtatious look, nibbling on his lip piercing. He took a moment before he handed the paper over. “Getting awfully bossy aren’t we.”

Ignoring him and the numerous frowns thrown his way by the Elders and a disgruntled Alexa – who had so far been trying to catch his attention (even imminent war couldn’t stop her natural predilection for hooking up with the newest, hottest being around) – Caia quickly scanned the list. There were quite a number of names here.

“This should do actually,” she murmured, knowing everyone could hear her anyway. She looked up as Jaeden entered the room with Vil and Laila. “Vil, you and I should go. Vanne’s provided us with a list of names to give to Alfred Doukas’ wife. She should be able to gather them to us pretty quickly.”

Vil nodded but she noticed his hand tightening in Laila’s. Before she could reassure them, Alexa stepped forward, a little pout she had perfected years before, playing on her luscious mouth. “I wanna help.”

Caia, as well as everyone else, stared at her dumbstruck.

“You… want to help?” Ella queried, quietly disbelieving.

Alexa narrowed her eyes. “What… like I’m useless? I can fight you know… I have a sharper set of claws than any of the bitches in the pack.”

Well, that I believe. An offer of help, however unexpected, wasn’t something she was about to turn down. “OK… if you’re sure… Alexa, you can come with us to the portal, you can help us fight at the Center.”

As Alexa grinned excitedly at the thought, a shadow cast across the room. Standing in the doorway was Morgan with Malek, Morgan’s dark eyes burning into Caia.

“If Alexa is going I’m going.” Malek puffed, crossing his arms over his large chest defiantly, smirking at his older sister immaturely.

Morgan whipped on him with a fierce growl. “You’re not going anywhere.” His next lip-curling comment was directed at Caia, “And neither is my daughter. You are not Alpha here, and you do not get to decide whether my underage children hit a battle zone for you!”

After years of perfecting a blank expression Caia managed not to flinch under his outrage, but inside she felt spectacularly dumb and guilty. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

Before Alexa could mount what was clearly an oncoming – and loud – protest, Reuben slid forward to face Morgan. Standing a few inches taller than him, and just as broad, the vampyre made his displeasure known in every nuance of his body language. “You don’t speak to her with anything but respect, do you hear me?”

The older lykan was not intimidated one bit.

“Guys…” Caia tried to intervene, glancing helplessly to Magnus and the Elders who merely watched in fascination. Fricking lykans! They just loved the ‘show of dominance’ crap.

Morgan sneered, his eyes wandering over the vampyre in disgust. “And who the fuck are you to tell me how to talk to her?”

Ella gasped at the profanity and made to stand up, but Dimitri held her back. Caia glared at him but he merely shrugged as if to say, ‘sorry, but I wanna see what happens’.

Reuben took another step closer to him and Malek glanced between his father and the outsider nervously, clearly wondering if he should step out of the way.

“I’m just a being that could tear you a new one in two seconds flat. But I can see I would actually have to do that to incur any respect from you. So why don’t I remind you that Caia is your Alpha’s mate and should be afforded the respect you’re refusing me.”

At that, Morgan lowered his eyes and Caia knew Reuben had gotten to him. “You’re right.” He looked up and gave her a slight nod, his eyes dimmed but not defeated. “I’m sorry. But I can’t have my children in this war, Caia.”

“I understand,” she replied softly. “I’m sorry I didn’t speak to you about it first.”

“Uh hello!” Alexa called, taking a step closer to Reuben with a flirtatious shake of her hips. “I think, Daddy, you’re forgetting one thing.”

Morgan raised an unimpressed eyebrow at her.

“I’m eighteen. I don’t need your permission.” She smiled up at Reuben. “I’m still in.”

“You still live under my roof, so you will do as I say.”

“No-”

Sensing a huge disagreement brewing Caia stepped forward. “Alexa, your father is right. I don’t think you’ve thought this through. You will be fighting to the death and fighting magiks. The closest you’ve gotten to fighting is tussling with the pack.”

She whirled on Caia so fast she almost gave Reuben whiplash with her long, thick hair. “I can’t believe you of all people are trying to stop me.”

Jaeden growled from her position on the coffee table. “And what does that mean?”

“Can’t she talk for herself?” Alexa cried, gesturing towards Caia. “Jeez, you’ve got so many champions it’s a wonder you need to fight at all. Speaking of which… you had no fighting experience when you went in after Ethan. And you let Jae take those guards on outside.”

“Jaeden hunted with me for months before that and has become a proficient fighter,” Reuben reminded them quietly. Jaeden began to smile at him in thanks and then seemed to remember at the last minute that she hated him.

“Arggh!” Alexa spun around and glowered at her father. “Daddy, let me do this! I am fed up of being a useless pretty ornament… uh one, btw, who didn’t even land the pack Alpha or Rogue Hunter!”

Wow, you had to admire her honesty… she didn’t give a rat’s ass who knew how shallow and ambitious she was.

“Oh dear goddess,” a soft female voice entered from the hallway followed by its owner, Alexa’s mother, Natalia. Alexa was the spitting image of her mother and they could easily pass for sisters. The only difference being that Natalia wore her thick, dark hair cut short, and whereas Alexa’s eyes were constantly spitting fire, there was a gentleness to Natalia’s. At the moment that gentleness was replaced with weary indignation. “Please don’t tell me you want to go off on this suicide mission because you think it’s the way to gain a mate?”

Malek snorted but Alexa merely shrugged, apparently not embarrassed that this conversation was occurring in front of not only the Elders but Reuben and Vanne. “It’s not just that! OK maybe I thought about it… Caia and Jae have done pretty well for themselves and their not as pretty as me so I have to conclude that it’s their willingness to fight-”

“An admirable quality but one that I don’t want my daughter to share.” Morgan sighed.

“But I do,” Alexa whined. “Daddy, I feel useless and stupid. But Caia is giving us a chance to do something amazing… something important! This is bigger than finding a mate… this will, like, totally change everything.”

For a moment they were all stunned by her sincerity. And as Caia watched her plead with her father she decided right there and then to start acting like a leader. This was a decision she was taking away from him. Alexa wanted to do this. She deserved the chance to show them all what she could do.

“Then you’re in,” Caia said quietly and all eyes turned on her.

Alexa’s were bright and for the first time she threw Caia a genuine smile. “You really mean it?”

“I really mean it.”

“No!” Morgan yelled. “I swear to you, Caia-”

Before Reuben could make that next unmistakable move towards him, Caia moved across the room with speed that surprised her as much as it did them. She stood in front of Reuben facing Morgan down (well as much as she could at her diminutive height).

Pulling on her best acting skills, Caia scowled at him, and used just a little of her magik to force him back from her. She could tell by the widening of his eyes that he felt it. “Alexa wants to fight. She’s a grown-up and it is her decision… not yours. And Reuben’s right… when Lucien and Ryder are absent then the Elder’s and I are in charge. Last time I checked you weren’t either one of us. Now the Elders have raised no concerns over Alexa’s involvement so that leads me to believe they think she should be allowed to make up her own mind.” A rumble of grunts from the Elders confirmed that. “I suggest you swallow that decision gracefully-”

Malek stepped forward interrupting, “I wan-”

He snarled as Caia pushed him back but she was unimpressed. “Don’t interrupt. Your father said no. You’re still underage, Mal.”

Morgan looked as if he wanted to strangle someone. “You’ll understand when you have your own children, Caia.”

She sighed, trying desperately to hold on to the hard-ass act. “Morgan… if I don’t get enough people to help me fight Marita… we won’t have a future, let alone the possibility of little Caia and Lucien’s running around under our feet.”

For a moment he gazed at her in strained silence and then nodded curtly before leaving the room with his arm around his wife. Malek followed in their wake, disgruntled mumblings trailing at the back of him.

Caia turned to face the room. “I feel like I’ve been run over.”

“You handled that like a leader.” Reuben nodded and she could have sworn there was pride in his eyes. Vanne looked sad and Caia knew he was still thinking about Marion. The Elders were a little shell-shocked, but Jae, like Reuben, was smiling smugly.

“You kicked ass.”

She felt a hand on her arm and looked up to see Alexa smirking. “Thanks. I mean it. I’m totally pumped to do this.”