I blinked, as if this was some sort of dream that would disappear if I pinched myself. And yet, when my eyes reopened, the four figures still stood in front of me: my mate, his brother, and two dark-skinned goddesses that observed me with frightening interest...

"What's happening?" I managed, having recovered from the initial shock of seeing both Nolan and Dominic together with no signs of violence. They looked more identical than ever, in almost matching black suits for the occasion.

"So this is Charlotte?" One of the women took a step toward me, and I instinctively took a step back. She emanated power. Her dark hair spiraled into ringlets around her head, bouncing with every movement she made.

"Dominic didn't tell me that you would be here..." She smiled, eyes flashing momentarily to the Rogue Alpha, but her friendly expression did nothing to calm my unease.

"I didn't know," Dominic admitted in a quiet grumble, and, although he spoke to this woman, his dark blue eyes remained on me.

I, for one, didn't know who to look at. The wild-haired female still approached me with curiosity teeming in her eyes. As she crept closer, I realized that she must have been at least twenty-years older than myself. Her companion, on the other hand, seemed to be around my age.

The younger girl had long black hair tied back into a braid, mocha skin glowing in the balcony's torchlight. They both wore dark dresses, although I couldn't make out the exact color. I decided that they must have been a mother-daughter pair... But who were they?

The mother-figure stopped a few feet away, amusement dancing in her almond-shaped eyes. I felt like some sort of specimen under careful, microscopic investigation, until Nolan brushed past the female's shoulder.

"You were upset?" He questioned, concern clouding his blue orbs as he approached. Soon, only his broad frame filled my vision.

"It was nothing..." I lied, but Nolan must have been unconvinced. His brows furrowed and his muscles tensed as he looked toward the balcony doors, as if he planned on confronting whoever had upset me.

"Really," I insisted, placing a hand on his forearm, "I handled it."

Nolan let out a bit of a huff, but visibly relaxed after a moment or two. I might have taken some time to appreciate the fact that my head-strong Alpha actually listened to me, but my thoughts immediately drifted back to the two foreign women standing behind him.

"I want to know what is going on," I peeked over his shoulder, leveling a hard stare at the trio behind him.

To my surprise, my monstrous mate stepped aside so that I could face every figure on the balcony. I had half-expected Nolan to usher me back into the dancing hall... Maybe our previous conversation actually did some good?

I crossed my bare arms, now covered in a fine layer of goose-bumps, against my chest. I wanted some sort of explanation.

Dominic stepped forward first, the scarred side of his face hidden in the shadows of the night. "Look, Charlie... This doesn't involve you. Go back inside and--"

"Yes it does," Nolan interjected, although he didn't look too pleased about it. He mirrored my positioning, arms crossed tight against his massive chest, and he kept an unreadable gaze on his twin. "It involves Charlie more than any one of us. She deserves to hear everything."

I took a deep breath, "This is about the hybrids and the prophecy, isn't it?"

Dominic froze, eyes narrowed as he glared between Nolan and me. A dangerous calm slithered into his voice, "You told her?"

Nolan shrugged his heavy shoulders, "She deserved to know. I told her everything just a few minutes ago... After she tracked me to the Broken Valley Pack this evening, I figured she wouldn't stop until she knew."

He ran a hand through the dark locks that crowned his head, "Of course, I didn't think she would be here tonight. But now that she is, she deserves to know why we were meeting."

A meeting? I cocked my head in momentary confusion, and Nolan responded with a gaze that said: I told you I came here for a number of reasons.

My eyes flickered between the two brothers, while the two women stood silently to watch the show. Dominic looked like he might like to punch Nolan in the mouth, and, although I usually found myself wanting to do the same, I stepped closer to the Black Lupis Alpha.

"Nolan was right to tell me the truth," I ground my teeth together. "Why would you want to hide it from me, Dominic?"

"We were trying to keep you safe," Dominic muttered, never once removing his eyes from Nolan's. I saw betrayal flicker in the rogue's eyes, while Nolan emitted calm resignation.

I laughed once, surprised by the harshness that left my own lips, "Right, of course. And you thought it'd be safer for me to be ignorant of the bloodthirsty hybrids that want to tear my body apart because of some prophecy?"

Nolan and Dominic visibly flinched, and I rolled my eyes. At least one of them had told me. I happened to notice a wicked grin that lined the lips of the older woman. For half of a second, I thought that she might start applauding my words.

Instead, she stepped between us all, "I didn't come here to listen to you all squabble like children! I came because Dominic told me that you needed a witch's help, and I owe him a favor or two."

A witch? They were witches. I should have known. These women emitted the same ethereal energy as the warlock I'd met in the hotel a few months ago, when Nolan and I had only just met. The thought frightened and excited me all at once.

"We do need your help, Zephora." Nolan stepped forward, and I noticed something like desperation in his words.

"Yes, Alpha, I know." She flashed a toothy grin, and I thought that her canines might have been filed down to dangerously sharp points. "I figured you and your exiled brother must be very desperate, if you resorted to working together to find me."

This woman, Zephora, was taunting the males. She knew that she could drop everybody on the balcony without a second thought, and yet, here she was. She must have owed Dominic several large favors.

"Well, for once, Nolan and I have a common goal," Dominic replied, voice much quieter than before. His eyes landed directly on me. I thought I noticed Nolan stiffen beside me, but he remained quiet.

"Yes," Zephora whispered and followed Dominic's gaze until her almond eyes found mine, "And I am so happy that I've been able to meet her."

I blushed and nearly lowered my eyes in shame. Nolan and Dominic had only been trying to keep me safe... I shouldn't have been so harsh on them. I frowned.

"Now, what do you need?" Zephora clasped her hands in front of her, waiting patiently for instruction from the Alpha brothers.

Dominic and Nolan exchanged glances, before the latter stepped forward. "I've done everything that I can to keep any outsiders from knowing that I've found a second mate. But the hybrids will find out eventually, and my pack will be defenseless when they do."

Zephora's chocolate brown eyes took on a mischievous, almost cold sparkle. "And I'm assuming you are unwilling to sacrifice the one to save the other?"

My breath caught in my throat, but Nolan took a dangerous step toward the witch before I could react further.

"Absolutely not!" Nolan growled through his bared teeth. Dominic, too, stiffened at the very suggestion that they should offer me up to appease the hybrids. They both moved closer to me, while my heart raced in my chest.

Zephora let out a cackling laugh, as if she had suggested such a thing only to receive such a reaction from the males. "Well then, I'm sure I can conjure something..."

"Great," Dominic let out a long breath and clapped his hands together, "Let's freaking do it already."

"Not so fast, Dominic," Zephora chuckled. "Even with a witch as powerful as my daughter on your side, such a large spell transcends what witches alone can accomplish."

Our confusion must have been shown plainly enough, for she continued, "My daughter, Angelina, and I can complete the spell, but at a price... A talisman, a very powerful object with magic contained inside, was stolen from my coven decades ago. We want it back."

"Get your own damn talisman back, Z," Dominic growled, clearly losing patience with his witch friend. Nolan prickled as well, his eyes darkening at the evident challenge in Zephora's words. My fingers clenched into fists, again and again. The witch was playing with us.

As if sensing the rising tension, the second witch, Zephora's daughter, stepped out of the shadows. "What my mother is trying to say is..." She shot her mother a typical teenage glare, "We need the talisman to complete the spell. It is a binding object, a force that ensures that no other witch or supernatural being can undo our spell."

As she drew closer, I realized that Zephora's daughter practically sparked with magical energy. It was similar to Zephora's own power, but amplified tenfold. This girl held immense gifts, and yet walked with an air of humility that her mother did not possess. I liked her.

"We can get it," Nolan promised. "Who has it?"

Zephora turned to smirk at me, "The Golden Walkers Pack."

My heart stopped beating for a moment, and I exchanged quick glances with Nolan and Dominic. I nodded, "If the Golden Walker Pack has it, I can get it. But the pack house has at least a dozen magical artifacts spread throughout it. Which is your talisman?"

Zephora's daughter, Angelina, turned toward me, "It's my great-grandmother's wedding ring. The metal is silver, inlaid with an emerald, with little engravings of a vine on the inside."

With Angelina's description, I easily conjured the image in my mind. I'd seen it before, years ago, when playing hide and seek in the pack house with Lizzie and other friends. I had found the perfect hiding spot: Alpha Sehan's bedroom. At only twelve years old, I took delight in snooping through his things, including the little jewelry box on his night-stand.

"I know the one," I let out a shaky breath, excitement bubbling inside of me. I turned to Zephora and Angelina, my hand held out in front of me. "If I retrieve this ring, you both promise to do the spell to protect the pack?"

"Yes," Zephora breathed, the word a hiss leaving her plump lips. She eyed my hand, contemplating whether to shake it, "Don't worry, Luna. Witches never break their word."

I wasn't sure if I believed her, but her word was enough to satisfy any concerns that Nolan had. He bowed his head to the witch, who smiled at his display of respect. "Thank you, Zephora."

She waved her hand in the air, dismissing his thanks. "When you have the talisman, Dominic knows how to reach us." And with that, our conversation finished. Zephora turned toward Dominic, "I have an old friend in attendance tonight that I'd like to say hello to. Be prepared to depart when I come back."

Depart? He was leaving with the witches? I gulped, automatically questioning the nature of his relationship with the two women. Perhaps their bond ran a bit deeper than a few favors between friends... The blood drained from my cheeks.

Dominic seemed to notice my unnatural paleness, for, as soon as the balcony doors closed behind Zephora and Angelina, he rushed to my side. For a moment, I considered pushing him away.

And yet, when the space between us had vanished, I couldn't help from wrapping my arms around his neck as he pulled me into an embrace. His arms swallowed me whole, and his scent of musk and pine washed over me in a comforting haze. One of his hands cradled the back of my head, while the other found my waist. I squeezed my eyes shut to savor the moment.

"Isn't it dangerous for you to be here?" I whisper-yelled at my sparring-partner, friend, and protector.

He chuckled, pulling back from our embrace, "Zephora cloaks my scent with her magic. I'm safe, so long as I'm with her... You look beautiful, Charlie."

Heat rushed to my cheeks and pooled in the very pit of my stomach. I was hyper-aware of the muscles that tightened beneath his jacket. "Don't compliment me. I'm still mad at you for not telling me about... everything."

Even as I said the words, I knew they weren't true. Our conversation with Zephora had excited me, and all of my anger had been forgotten. Dominic knew it too. One corner of his lips pulled up in a playful smirk, and I smacked his shoulder in protest.

Suddenly, Nolan cleared his throat from where he stood to the side, and I realized I'd completely forgotten that my mate remained on the balcony. Shit! Instinctively, I pushed myself out of Dominic's arms like he had been burning my skin, and turned to face my Alpha-- my mate... Right?

A thousand thoughts and emotions swarmed my thoughts, all while my face turned the color of a tomato.

"I'm going to go roundup Dylan and Sophia," Nolan explained, awkwardly gesturing toward the balcony doors. Pink clouded his cheeks, and he immediately reverted his eyes to the ground as he turned away. I'd hurt his feelings, even if he would never admit it.

Nolan had given me a gift-- a small portion of time alone with Dominic. A pang of guilt plagued my chest, but I forced myself to ignore it when he stepped through the door. Now, Dominic and I were alone on the balcony.

"So, you and Nolan are partners now?" I cocked a brow in Dominic's direction, suddenly far more aware of the way his black suit hugged every crevice of his lithe body.

He laughed, a husky chuckle that reverberated off the walls of the house. "I wouldn't call it 'partners.' More like individuals who dislike each other but want the same thing."

"Want the same thing?" I blinked in feigned innocence although a smirk of mischief painted itself on my lips. "You mean, you both want to massacre a few hybrids?"

He took a step closer to me, and his gaze nearly melted me on the spot. "I think you know what I want, Charlotte."

I swallowed the lump in my throat, frozen in place as he drew closer and closer, and realized too-late that I'd been staring at Dominic's lips. Before I could conjure up a sufficiently witty reply, the balcony doors opened once more.

Zephora and Angelina strode outside, interrupting whatever had been about to occur between Dominic and myself. I found myself wanting to both curse and praise the Moon Goddess for their timing...

"Said your goodbyes, Dominic?" Zephora questioned.

"Goodnight, Charlie," Dominic smiled, bending over to kiss the back of my hand without once breaking his eye-contact with me. Just like his brother had done earlier that evening...

I could only conjure a smile for my Rogue Alpha before he turned, took Zephora's outstretched arm, and walked toward the stairs that would lead them off of the balcony. I didn't know where they would go from here, but I found comfort in knowing that the witch's magic protected him.

I didn't realize that the younger witch, Angelina, remained on the balcony with me. She spoke, barely a whisper in the night breeze, "You know, I think the talisman might be able to help us break the curse on your Alpha, too."

"Curse?" I narrowed my eyes, and my heart nearly stopped beating within my chest. "What curse?"

Angelina cocked her head to one side, eyebrows furrowing in momentary confusion. She opened her mouth to reply, but a shrill voice from off of the balcony interrupted whatever she'd been ready to say.

"Angelina! Come," Zephora ordered from some unknown location, and the young teenager started to depart.

"Wait!" I called after her, but she only looked back at me to whisper a rushed apology.