“Not as many as I thought would come,” she said, throwing open the door. The smell of garlic and Italian seasonings made my mouth water instantly. “But even one is too many. No one should live in fear or be shut out from what is known and safe.”

She was so freaking sincere it hurt.

“You would have made a wonderful Alpha,” I told her.

“Oh no, dear, I am far too tender hearted for such a task, which is why I am here, and not in Romania with the other Matrons.”

The step to get into the actual house was both steep and narrow. When it became obvious Rachel couldn’t navigate it on her own, Liam swooped her into his arms and carried her across the threshold.

“Oh my!” Rachel clutched onto his shoulders, her dimples flashing. “I haven’t done that since my honeymoon.”

Liam’s face turned shades of red I didn’t know existed. “Sorry. I should have asked first.”

“It was perfectly wonderful.” She gave me an apologetic look as he sat her down. “Although I do suppose we should have asked you if it was okay first. I know how mates are in the beginning. The whole touching other people thing can be grounds for a fight, even if it’s their old aunt.”

“She’s not my mate,” Liam said before I could.

Rachel clucked her tongue. “Don’t be silly. Of course you are.”

Now my face was attempting to match the color of Liam’s. “No, really. No Declarations. No ceremony. We’ve never even…” We got close. Very, very, very close, but then, when things started getting really serious, Liam bolted. He was there one minute, all lips and hands and tongues, and the next he was walking out the door. Once I finally got my wits about me, and some clothes on, I went outside to search for him. I found the wolf instead. Neither of us had spoken of it since, although from the look on Liam’s face, we were both thinking about it now.

Rachel kindly ignored both of our shame-filled faces. “Declarations and ceremonies are bureaucratic nonsense based on human customs. Mating is something more primitive and magical.” She narrowed her eyes and laid a hand on each of our cheeks. I felt the power of her Sight crashing through my body. “Yes, I’m quite right.” Her face lit up as she patted the cheeks she had been holding on to. “You have chosen each other. It’s done. You’re mates.”

While I stood there in dumb shock, two girls rounded the corner from the direction of the heavenly smell. “We thought we heard voices,” said the one with a riot of curls bouncing around her face. “Hey, Grandmother.” She turned to Liam and me. “Tall scary man. Girl whose face I know from somewhere but can’t remember where," she said to us in acknowledgement.

“Chick in a Super-Man shirt and cardigan,” I acknowledged back.

The other girl, the one who looked almost identical to the first but sported decidedly more adult-like attire and had tamed her hair with a twisty-ponytail thing, held out a hand. “I’m Michelle,” she said. “Please ignore Marie. No one ever bothered to teach her manners.”

“Scout,” I said, my hand still down at my side. “Sorry, but I don’t shake hands with Seers whose powers I don’t know.” Speaking of Seers whose powers I didn’t know, I really needed to find out what Rachel was packing. I hoped it was something like the right answers to those word quizzes in the Reader’s Digest or how to put a computer together. Anything other than whether or not two people were mates.

“Don’t worry about her,” Rachel said. “Michelle is latent.”

“And I See need, which doesn’t require contact.” Marie tilted her head to the side and pursed her lips. “Scout… Scout…” Her eyebrows shot up. “The senator’s granddaughter! I knew I knew you from somewhere!”

Of all the things for me to forget, why did it have to be that whole long lost senator’s granddaughter thing? How could it have been that whole long lost senator’s granddaughter thing? I mean, I know I had this whole Challenging the Alpha Female thing going on, and I spent half a year playing Survival of the Fittest in the Canadian wilderness, but you would think I could remember I was one of America’s Most Wanted Amber Alerts or whatever.

“I’m not really--”

“You know, you’re much more attractive in person than that picture they kept flashing on MSNBC. I think someone there must hate you.” Marie turned and started back down the hall. Since it was towards the direction of food, I followed. “So, you like killed some Stratego and almost killed the Alpha Male?”

My heart skipped a beat, but Liam replied in his normal bored tone. “It was a group effort.”

I wasn’t sure what to make of Marie. If Rachel had spouted off knowledge of what went down at the lake last summer I would have been uncomfortable, but it would have made sense. But having this girl who had a Post-It note stuck to her butt casually mention something which marked us as her enemy bothered me.

“You can relax,” Michelle said from behind me. “We’re not exactly Team Alpha around here. I think Marie did a little cheer and dance when we got the call that Stefan was in the hospital and not expected to live through the night.”

“What have you got against our supreme rulers?” Liam asked.

Michelle looked up into his hard face and didn’t even flinch. “They kill female Shifters.”

I stopped so quickly Rachel clipped my leg with her walker. “You know?”

“Of course I know,” Rachel said, clomping around me. “Why do you think I left the Den?”

“You know, but you don’t do anything?”

This time it was Rachel who stopped abruptly. “I’m a seventy-nine year old woman with two fake knees and a bad hip. What exactly is it you think I can do, Miss Donovan?”

“I don’t know, but something. Something other than just sit here and let it happen.” I could feel Wolf Scout pushing to the surface as my anger level rose. How on earth could someone let that happen? How could Rachel? Nicole was her niece.

Rachel straightened her back as much as she could. “I have done something. I’ve given those who oppose the Alpha Pack a place to stay when they need it. I keep records of things they would rather be hidden. And I’ve waited here for her return, for the day…” A surge of Seer power so strong it almost knocked me off my feet. “I’ve waited for you. Now, the question is, what are you going to do, Lilith?”