"I got it. I can stand. I don't want you to hurt yourself."

She stood back with a look on her face that said she couldn't quite understand why he was being somewhat thoughtful about her condition. He didn't quite know either.

He made his way to the chair and sat down, cursing as his side flared with pain.

"What happened?

"A few of the Centrals' wolves didn't take too kindly to us for keeping them off our territory."

"Are they dead?" she asked, no emotion in her tone as she cleaned his neck. He winced at the sting but held back a curse.

"Yes."

"Good."

His wolf liked this feisty wolf of his.

No, he couldn't think of her as his.

"Did they say anything?" With somewhat shaky hands, she took off his shirt then cleaned his wounds.

"Not much."

She finished bandaging up his side and neck and tilted her head. "What did they say? Or is it too classified or whatever for me?"

Adam barked a laugh. "Classified? You're making the Pack sound like some secret ops military project."

She shrugged and then cleaned up the mess, leaving Adam to sit in pain at the table. "I don't know how these things work. Are you supposed to let everyone else know what you're doing? Or is that all secret to protect the Pack from itself? Just seems really odd."

"I can tell my trusted circle what I need to. So pretty much my family and my enforcers. Others can ask, and I can tell them some things, but you're right. Some information is best kept close to the heart and the situations."

"So you can't tell me. I understand," she said, though her tone betrayed the slight.

Though he didn't want to man up to it, he had to be honest. Even if nothing would come of it, the woman in front of him was his mate. At least by mark, if not by heart.

"It concerns you, so I'm going to tell you."

She dropped the box of bandages in her hand and paled. "Me? They were after me?"

"Yes, though I don't know why. Do you have something you want to tell me?" He still didn't trust her and these special powers of hers.

"I'm not sure why they would be following me or wanting me."

He couldn't taste a lie, but he couldn't quite tell what she was hiding either.

"They were after you, but now they're dead. I don't know why, but the demon wants you. You need to tell me why, Bay. If you don't, you may endanger in my family. And if you do that, no amount of mate marks could protect you." He narrowed his eyes as he said the last part, and she thrust up her chin.

"I'm telling you, I'm nothing special. Maybe they're just after me because they want to get you. After all, they can scent I'm your mate."

That thought hadn't occurred to him. Was it his fault?

"Whatever it is, we'll deal with it. Just remember, I don't know you, and I'll protect what I have to."

"Fine. Oh, and by the way, you're all bandaged up. Thank you for killing those bastards, but the next time you decide to play hero, try to protect yourself too. I'm getting tired of playing Beauty to your Beast."

He gave a soft growl and watched her walk away to their bedroom. Dammit, the longer she stayed, the more complicated it got. She was hiding something; he knew it. He just needed to figure out what.

Chapter 12.

"So, how are you liking the Redwoods so far?" Josh asked as he tugged the wiggling toddler toward him.

Adam's brother-in-law, Josh, was babysitting Kade and Mel's son, Finn, for the day and had stopped by the house to pick her up so she could enjoy the fresh air. She relished the chance to get out of that small, enclosed space with the man she wanted to strangle one minute and make out with the next. Josh was also relatively new to the Pack and had only just recently married and mated with Adam's brother Reed and their other mate, Hannah. He'd once been a Navy SEAL and then a security officer before he'd rescued and fallen in love with the both of them. During that time, he'd also been bitten by a demon and turned into a partial one, meaning he was stronger than most humans and carried some of the demon characteristics. Though he wasn't a full demon, he still most likely could live a long life. She thought about how they'd welcome him into the fold, even though the one who'd bit him and made him who he was also their enemy.

Finn stared at her and waved his chubby little hands then smiled, deepening his dimples as he giggled. She waved back, and he walked toward her and put his little hands on her stomach.

"Baby?"

Oh, what was she supposed to say? Did toddlers know where babies come from? Oh, God, she was going to be a horrible mom.

Josh threw his head back and laughed. "Talk about throwing you into the deep one. Finn, yes, that will be a baby soon. Stop making your Aunt Bay uncomfortable." He blew raspberries on Finn's neck as the little boy kicked his feet in the air to try to get away.

She smiled at them on the outside, but on the inside, she froze. Aunt? Well, she had mated into the family. Guess that did make her an aunt. Jesus. Why had she come here? Even though she needed help, she was ruining the lives of everyone in this family.

"So? How do you like it so far?" Josh asked again, and she blinked.

"What? Oh, sorry. I need to stop thinking so much in my head."

"This is not where you normally think?"

"Oh, you're a funny one, are you?"

Josh shook his head but grinned. "Not usually." He scratched his arm and she looked down at the spiral tattoos that covered them. She knew they were the mark of the demon, and not just a decorative piece.

"But to answer your question, I don't really know. Everyone's been so nice and helpful, but I don't really know anyone. I'm afraid to do that. Because, you know, I'm leaving." She needed to say it over and over again until people believe her. They all thought she was going to stay with them. But she couldn't, not with Adam being the way he was.

The red rims around Josh's irises flared a bit before he blinked. "You do realize you're pregnant with the Alpha's grandchild, don't you?"

"Actually, I'm pregnant with my child."

"You know, it did take two?"

Finn stared between the two of them, his face growing cloudier as the conversation took a turn she didn't want to go.

She took a deep breath and traced a finger along Finn's jaw so he would smile. He obliged, and she looked directly into Josh's gaze. "I'm not going to stay here, Josh. I can't. Adam doesn't want me to, and I'm not weak enough, or strong enough, to stay with a man who doesn't want me. I will not raise a child in a situation like that."

Josh nodded, obviously thinking on how to tread lightly. "We'll just have to see, won't we?"

She didn't say anything, as there really wasn't anything to say. She wasn't going to say anything that could change his thinking.

Finn giggled and took off toward the center of the park. Bay kept an eye on him but let him run and roll across the grass by himself. He was only about thirty feet away when the hairs on her arm stood on end, and she froze. The den seemed to stand still, the magic surrounding them turned oily, slick.

Oh, God, no, not now.

"Do you feel that?" Josh asked, his voice low, his eyes red.

She stood, cradling her belly.

"Get Finn, now." She tried to speak calmly, but the fear bubbled up within her, and she wanted to scream.

Josh took off without another word. No one else was around them, so it was up to only him and her. He'd almost made it when something appeared before them. No, not something. Someone.

Caym. The demon.

The man her mother had warned her about. She'd never met him...but she knew him.

He stood like a fallen angel, his dark hair flowing in the wind, his chiseled cheekbones like ice. He grinned, one so evil that it sent chills down her spine.

"Josh! No!" She tried to call out to stop him, but it was too late. There hadn't been enough space for him to stop. He growled and tried to punch the demon, but Caym was stronger. In one quick movement, he lashed out with a knife and slit Josh's throat, blood pooling. Her new friend gurgled, blinked, then slid to the ground, motionless.

She screamed in agony and ran toward him. Though she was pregnant and wanted to protect her baby, she couldn't just stand by and watch a man die, but what would happen to Finn?

She could hear other people running toward them, their shouts and screams as they tried to reach their fallen brother. But she had eyes only for the demon. Finn stood frozen, as if he had no idea what he should do. But he was a baby. How was he supposed to know? Finn blinked as if he knew he was supposed to move, but it was too late. Caym reached down and picked up the little boy. Finn was an Alpha through and through and kicked and screamed and bit to try to get free. She ran as fast as she could to them, but as soon as she made it close, Caym threw the boy across the field. She choked on a sob as the little boy landed with the deafening crunch.

"Ah, just the person I wanted to see," Caym crooned.

She tried to bend down the help Josh, but Caym grabbed her by the neck and shook her. She choked, trying to take in air and protect her belly at the same time.

"At last, we meet."

She could feel the other wolves around them, but Bay couldn't reach them. It was as if Caym had put a special ward around just them. She could hear Hannah's and Reed's broken sobs as they watched Josh bleed out near her feet. She fought for breath and from the corner of her eye she could see Kade and Mel trying to break through the barrier to get to their son. But it was hopeless. Caym came from the fiery depths of hell and was stronger any one of them and all of them put together.

She clawed at him, her wolf rising to the surface as she tried to break away, but he wouldn't let go.

"Don't you see, Bay? I need you."

He released her throat just long enough for her to rasp out a word. "Never."

"Oh, little girl. You say that as if you have a choice. I'm going to gut that baby out of you and see if I can use it and then torture him to use you to get what I want. The wolves around you will die, and it will be your fault."

She struggled against his hold and kicked. He squeezed harder, and black dots danced behind her eyes. She was a wolf, darn it. She was stronger than this. She reached again with that special power she'd wanted to ignore all her life and let it flow through her. She focused it and pushed as hard as she could. Caym screamed and let her go, the wards around them dissolving.

"Don't think that means anything, little girl. I'll come back for you and that little mutant you carry. " He dissolved away, and Bay fell to the ground.

People scrambled around her, screaming, crying, their movements hurried and frantic. She lay on the ground and watched as Hannah leaned over her mate, her hands holding his neck together as Healing power flowed through her. Bay didn't know if it would be enough.

"Josh, please, don't die. You can't die," Hannah sobbed. Reed held the both of them, their bond flaring. Bay couldn't see it, but she knew that the trinity bond would be doing overtime to heal Josh. If he could be healed.

She took a steadying breath, her throat raw and scratchy and looked over her shoulder at the form she didn't want to see. North kneeled at Finn's side, a grim look on his face.

Mel and Kade hovered around, careful not to touch the little boy, afraid they'd break him even more by the merest of touches.

"He's breathing," North said, fear lacing his tone. "But I'm going to need Hannah. I can't heal this. Not without a miracle."

Mel broke down in sobs, her body shaking. Kade held his mate closer and howled a howl that shook every Pack member to the core.

Hannah looked over her shoulder, past Bay, and took a shuddering breath, tears flowing down her cheeks. Blood stained her clothes, her hands, and her face. "Trade with me, North. I'll do what I can. Just heal him however you can; he needs stitches." She sobbed each word but was stronger than any woman she'd ever known. "I can Heal Finn." She stood on shaky legs, and Reed held her. North ran to Reed's side with his medical bag and began working on Josh. The rest of the family stood around each broken family member, watching as their doctor and Healer put every ounce of their strength into saving their patients.

Bay lay between them both, her hands cradling her stomach. No one had spoken to her or had even looked at her. She could feel the bruises swelling on her neck, but she didn't say anything. As soon as they healed their family, they'd ask questions she didn't want to answer. And she'd lose them. If she'd even had them to begin with.

Adam looked as Bay sitting on the floor, the stark mottled bruises forming a ring around her neck. He warred within himself. On one hand, he wanted to make sure she was okay; on the other, the utter betrayal of her actions shocked him to the core. Though he had never trusted her, he'd never once thought she'd been in line with Caym.

His body shook as he held Josh's hand because Reed and Hannah could not. Hannah needed Reed to aid her powers so she could heal his nephew. She had done all she could for her mate and had to leave him in the hands of North and his western medicine. With a deft precision, even in the outdoors, North cleaned and irrigated the wound then stitched it up.

"It's the best I can do right now," North said, a stern promise of retribution on his face. "We need to get him back to my clinic, give him some blood, and figure out what to do. I don't know what he is, Adam. I don't know how to do this."

"I think I know who might," Adam growled.

Over his shoulder, he nodded toward his father. The Alpha nodded back and helped North carry Josh away as Adam released his hand. He stalked toward Bay and tried to rein in his temper, though he knew would be a futile battle.

"Come with me," he ordered Bay. Under any other circumstances, he would've just left her there to rot, but he held out his hand to help her up. The two sides of him warred, and he wanted to scream.

She looked up at him, her green eyes wide and tears streaming down her cheeks. "I...I'm sorry," she stuttered.

"Sorry isn't good enough," he spat. "Do you see what you and your lies have done?" He picked her up and forced her to look at Finn. "Every bone in his body is broken, Bay. Every bone. Only because of his Alpha blood is he still breathing. Hannah and North will heal him because they are powerful." He twisted her toward where his father and North had carried Josh away. "Josh had his fucking throat slit because of you. He may die, and I need to know how to help him. He's a partial demon. What do we do to give him blood? I think you know. Tell me."

Some part of him wanted her not to know, hoping that she would be innocent. But he knew that wasn't the case.

"He can use any blood as long as it's his blood type. At least, that's the case with me."

He looked over his shoulder and nodded at an enforcer, who would run to North's side and tell his brother what he'd heard.

Adam growled and turned her so she faced him. "What do you mean by that?"

She gulped and steadied herself, the bruises purple and blue around her throat. "I'm a half-demon."

He let go of her like she'd burned him. Fuck. A half demon. His enemy. An abomination. Josh had been bitten, not born. His brother-in-law was a human who had a curse. Bay was a part of evil. It was inherent in her blood.

Tears slid down her cheeks, but she held her head high. "A demon came to the Talon Pack and raped my mom. She got pregnant, and the Pack kicked her out. I was born, and she took care of me. I had never met my father...until today. As soon as I saw him, I knew. I can't explain it."

Adam rushed toward her and gripped her again. "You're telling me that fucker Caym is your father?" he roared.