Nolan, Raegan, and Dylan spent the better part of an hour explaining their plan. We'd take our captive hybrid, who had been pumped full of enough sedatives to tranquilize a herd of elephants, into the heart of Golden Walker territory. Once we arrived, we would tell Alpha Sehan everything. No more lies.

If everything went as planned, Sehan would see the power of a single hybrid, piss his pants in fear, and agree to hand over the talisman in order to save his pack. Foolproof, right?

"And what's to keep Sehan from killing you on sight?" Sophia challenged, arms crossed tight against her chest.

"Sehan isn't stupid," Nolan replied, although his lips were pursed in deep-thought. "He won't attack another Alpha's party that comes in peace... no matter how much he hates me."

I quietly sat on the couch for the majority of the conversation, silently weighing the consequences and benefits of their plan. On the one hand, it was our best chance of obtaining the talisman without blood shed. On the other, I couldn't quite justify marching into my old pack's territory with a bloodthirsty hybrid in our possession. What if something happened?

Sophia scoffed, "You didn't see his conversation with Charlie at the Broken Valley party. He seemed seriously pissed."

"Well, why don't we see what Charlie thinks?" Raegan suggested, clearly exasperated by the back-and-forth arguments for the past hour.

All eyes turned toward where I sat on the couch. I sighed, "Sehan's anger stemmed from the fact that I kept lying to him. I think he'll be much more sympathetic if we tell him the whole truth. Including the prophecy."

Nolan nodded and clapped his hands once, the universal symbol of 'Alright gang, let's do this,' as if my words were the only confirmation he needed. "Well, let's load up the car."

"It's five in the morning!" Dylan protested, "Can't we get some sleep before trying to save the world?"

"If you would rather take a nap, I'm sure I can find someone to take your place," Nolan retorted, already heading towards the door.

"Alright, alright! I'm coming!" Dylan hurried after his Alpha, and the rest of us followed suit.

Raegan took the liberty of collecting the female hybrid from the cells in the basement of the packhouse, injecting her body with another round of tranquilizers. He stuffed her body in an iron cage that looked like it could have been for a large-breed dog, and hoisted it into the trunk of a large, black SUV. Sophia went to the hospital wing and gathered an entire medical-bag full of extra sedatives, just in case. Dylan strapped at least a dozen weapons to his body, a surprise for Sehan in case he tries anything, apparently. If any outsider saw, they would have certainly called the police.

"How are you feeling?" Nolan asked when we finally had a moment alone.

I'd just reemerged from the pack house, clad in black jeans and a fitted short-sleeve t-shirt. I pulled my chestnut locks into a simple braid, and Sophia loaned me a black leather jacket to finish off the look. Nolan had been speaking on his cellphone with someone when I approached, but he bid the other caller farewell when I took a spot leaning against the hood of the vehicle.

"Nervous," I admitted, wrapping my arms across my waist in an effort to calm the swarm of butterflies in my stomach.

Nolan tucked his phone in his back pocket and slowly approached, "That's understandable."

"What about you? Are you nervous?" I offered a half-smile.

"I don't get nervous." He boasted, plucking an invisible speck of lint from his shoulder sleeve.

I chuckled at Nolan's playful display of confidence, narrowing my eyes at the prospect of a challenge. "Oh yeah? You'll be meeting my father..."

"I've met your father before." Nolan now stood directly in front of me, pinning me to the black-painted hood of the SUV. If I opened my legs in the slightest, he might have been standing between them. Somehow, I managed to keep my cool.

"But you've never met him as my mate." I speared my pointer-finger into his bicep, surprised by the rock-hard muscle that hid beneath his sleeve.

My finger lingered near his arm for a second longer than I intended, and Nolan's piercing blue eyes flickered downward to our near-touching bodies. I immediately removed my finger and turned my gaze to the gravel at my feet, increasingly aware of the heat clouding my cheeks.

"You're right," Nolan smirked. "Should I be nervous?"

My breath caught in my throat as he leaned closer, pressing one hand against the polished paint just beside my hip. His breath fanned against my cheek, cool and minty, and I subconsciously pressed my thighs closer together.

"Yes," I mustered every ounce of confidence and met Nolan's gaze, painfully aware of the close proximity of his full lips. "You should be terrified."

A muscle in Nolan's cheek twitched, as if fighting an amused smile. His other hand found my hip bone, and I could have sworn that his touch seared through my jeans. "Oh, but you'll protect me. Won't you, Charlotte?"

Judging by the smoldering heat in my Alpha's gaze, I could guess that he'd been wanting to try this since earlier that evening, when I couldn't help but admire his... uncensored body.

"I wouldn't count on it," I managed breathlessly, but my words certainly did not contain the spitfire I'd been aiming for.

Nolan chuckled, the sound reverberating from deep within his chest, and scattering a thousand goose bumps across my skin. His calloused hand that rested on my hip squeezed the fleshy part of my rear, and I nearly whimpered as I fought the urge to press myself into his front. Heat seeped beneath my skin where his fingers laid, and the rest of my body screamed in a desperate plea to be touched as well.

I'd never felt such an undeniable pull to someone before. I thought of the mark on my neck, still bandaged even though it had long since scabbed over. I'd been so worried that Dominic's mark would change me, and yet, I'd never felt closer to Nolan.

"Nolan?" I breathed, fingers hesitantly reaching up toward the bandage on my neck. "When Dominic attacked me, I was terrified that I'd be so drawn to him because of his mark... And yet, I've never felt more attracted to you." With my other hand, I grasped his forearm, tracing the chords of muscles that contracted beneath my slender fingers

"I've noticed it, too." The playful amusement stopped dancing in Nolan's bright eyes, and a certain seriousness took over. "At first, I thought that my wolf simply couldn't stand the thought that another male marked his mate. But I think it goes much deeper than that."

"There's something else, too..." I bit down on my lower lip and reached both hands up to the bandage on my neck, carefully peeling back the tape that held it in place. Shame instinctively crept up my neck, but I hastily pushed the emotion aside and removed the bandage, exposing the hated mark to Nolan. "I think it's fading."

Nolan's dark brows furrowed for a moment, as if he could hardly believe the sight. Marks weren't supposed to fade. They were permanent reminders of a mate bond between werewolves. And yet...

One of his large, calloused hands rose to my neck, but he paused just before touching his brother's mark. "May I?" Nolan asked, and when I nodded, he brushed his thumb over the scar. "It is fading..."

"I- I think my body is rejecting it, rejecting him," I whispered, making no effort to hide the excitement in my voice.

"Maybe Fate, the Moon Goddess, whatever controls all of this..." Nolan smiled and chuckled in quiet enthusiasm as he gestured between us, "Maybe it knows what it's doing after all."

"Maybe we should stop fighting it, then?" The words left my mouth before I could stop them, before I could understand what they truly meant.

Nolan pulled back in the slightest, as if he needed to get a better look of my face to gauge my seriousness. "You want me to mark you?"

Oh, shit. I chewed on my bottom lip, suddenly unable to meet my mate's eyes. "Well, if we get the talisman from the Golden Walkers, won't Zephora and Angelina be able to cast a protective charm on me? If I'm protected by their magic, you won't have to keep me hidden any longer, and we can finally..."

I hardly recognized my own voice, dripping in genuine desperation. I didn't realize how badly I wanted it until I said it out loud. When Nolan did not reply for a few moments, my throat began to tighten in embarrassment, and I quickly shook my head, "Nevermind... I'm being stupid."

But as soon as the words left my mouth, Nolan's fingers found my chin and lifted my gaze to meet his. His other hand nestled itself in my thick hair, cupping the side of my head. My heart nearly stopped beating due to the proximity of our lips, but I couldn't rip my gaze away from his.

"You have no idea how badly I want to mark you," Nolan whispered. As if to prove it, my Alpha ground his hips against mine, and I felt the impressive length of his want. "And I want you to mark me, too."

I couldn't speak, but my eyes prickled with tears at my mate's words. All the while, my core begged for some sort of friction to satisfy the unignorable warmth that now pooled at the apex of my thighs. What is he doing to me? I groaned to myself.

"But, when I mark you, I want it to be perfect," Nolan smiled, and amusement sparkled in his eyes again. "I certainly don't want it to be on the hood of a car."

I laughed, and, before I could stop myself, pressed my lips against his. The kiss lasted for half of a second. Short, sweet, and filled with more affection than passion, but Nolan did not seem to mind. He smiled against my lips, and, in that moment, everything felt right. He leaned in to kiss me again.

And then Dylan ruined it.

"Hello? Yes, I just wanted to announce myself and make sure you both have your pants on!" The Delta called from the otherside of the car, earning an eye roll from both Nolan and myself, but neither of us moved away.

I turned around to catch a glimpse of Dylan, who had a hand covering both of his eyes. When we didn't respond, he dared to peek through two fingers, and a sly smirk played on his lips, "It took you long enough."

"Dylan, stop talking," Nolan remarked, and I laughed.

The rest of our small possy arrived shortly after that. Nolan offered to drive, and Sophia nominated Dylan to sit in the back seat next to the knocked-out hybrid. He tried to argue but ended up in the back seat of the SUV anyways. I asked Raegan if he'd like to sit in the passenger seat beside Nolan, since I didn't want to leave Sophia in the back with the boys.

When we were all situated, Nolan started the engine. "Next stop, Golden Walkers Pack."