"Don't snarl. Veso didn't want to fuck her. He couldn't see the draw of human women, certain he'd break one in bed by accident, and they were too easy to control. He could be a nightmare as a patrol partner but he played games with Kira. She amused him."

"What did he do?"

"He stole her lunches, would leave her notes saying she'd have to track him if she wanted to eat. He'd expected her to rant or cry at first, but instead she began packing food for two and would share her meals when she caught up to him. Things like that. Games that helped improve her skills."

Lorn regretted some of the hatred he'd once felt for the VampLycan. "I see."

"I'll go shift and run to the border cabin. I'm hoping Dad's jaw is healed enough that he was able to shift to human, or can by now. If not, he can send any messages through his link to Mom. I won't be gone for more than a few hours. I'll send Garson up here since you have Kar watching your den."

"Thanks. Davis should be along soon, too." Lorn retook his seat. "I'll notify the other clans to make my position official to them as well."

"Good luck. I'll hurry."

Lorn waited until his brother left and closed the door behind him. He withdrew his cell phone and listened to two rings before it was answered.

"This is Velder."

"It's Lorn. It's done. I've taken the clan."

"We heard."

That surprised Lorn. "From who?"

"We have friends amongst your clan. I won't give names. Is that a problem?"

"No. I have nothing to hide and I encourage friendships between our clans."

"I wondered, since you waited to call."

"I apologize for the delay but I needed sleep, first and foremost." He wasn't willing to mention Kira.

"Damn. I didn't know you were in bad shape. I was told you only sustained minor injuries. You hid it well from your clansmen. They believe you took down your challengers without any difficulty."

Velder really did have someone inside the clan feeding him information. It didn't bother Lorn. He opened his mouth to reply but Velder went on.

"The offer still stands for us to help you. I can send at least four enforcers, and the other two clan leaders will spare some of theirs. They'll take direct orders from you to help stabilize your situation."

"I've healed enough that it's not a problem. I appreciate it but I think it would make everyone nervous if others came so soon."

"You don't want to be seen as weak enough to ask for help from us."

"Yes."

"Smart. Do you have enough loyal friends and family to create a solid foundation circle around you?"

"I've made my brother my second and accepted two enforcers so far."

"Four of you aren't enough to hold an entire clan. You need at least a dozen in your circle or you'll never sleep. Part of being a leader is delegating responsibilities to others. It gives everyone a sense of security to know the death of one won't completely throw the clan into chaos."

"I'll accept more enforcers once things settle a bit. I have one more who runs the lodge that has my back. I'm still feeling out loyalties but I have some offers I'm considering. Decker took most of the threats with him when he fled. I've handled the worst of the ones he left behind. I'm expecting a few sneak attacks but we can handle it."

"Picking an elder as your advisor will smooth over any resentment from the first-generations. Age is knowledge."

"I'm not asking an elder to be my advisor. Decker and Ladius kept us from moving forward with their archaic ways. I'm changing all the shit I hated and bringing us in line with the other clans."

"I understand, but be warned, it might make you enemies. Watch them closely."

"I already had to take down two elders."

"I heard. Please let us know if there's anything we can do to help, Lorn. We all want you to succeed. We're looking forward to strengthening the bonds between our clans again. It's been hell for us all, since Decker made us so wary. All the clans are connected through blood ties from mating. We're trusting that you want that as well."

"I do. I give my word that I don't have any plans to start a war. One clan is going to be challenging enough. I don't want yours or anyone else's."

Velder chuckled. "Just wait until you're dealing with all the clan issues that arise. They'll really keep you busy. Today I had to punish a youth."

"And that was amusing?"

"The boy played a prank but it crossed a line. I wanted to laugh my ass off and pat him on the back. It was near genius but I had to hide how I felt. It was my job to make an example out of him so others weren't encouraged to misbehave too."

"What did he do?" Lorn could use a laugh.

"Another youth is showing signs of becoming a strong enforcer one day. He's only eight but he's already building muscle and can fully shift. It's making him a bit of a bully. We've talked to him but you know how it is."

Lorn did. Some VampLycans were stronger than others at younger ages. He'd been one of them but he'd never felt the need to push around smaller VampLycans just because he grew at a faster rate. Nabby, on the other hand, had terrorized them. "I do."

"Rigo, that's the eight-year-old, has taken to shifting and chasing the other youths, threatening to bite them. He chose the wrong ten-year-old to hunt today. This one is small for his size but he's cunning. He saw it coming and rigged a few snare traps to trees and used logs as counterweights. Rigo was so busy running after his prey that he stepped into one."

"It served him right."

"I agree." Velder chuckled again. "Rigo hung from a tree by his foot for a good hour before Ben confessed what he'd done. Rigo's claws weren't sharp enough to cut through a rope so thick to get free on his own. It's against the rules to set traps like that so Ben had to be punished. The parents would have ranted about the unfairness otherwise."

"What about Rigo?"

"I punished him too. He did hunt Ben, tracks don't lie. He'd shifted, following Ben into the woods. I had to talk to them in public and assign them chores as punishment. It's humiliating to get busted in front of your friends. Rigo was given trash duty, while Ben has to help my mate this entire week. She'll probably feed him sweets and pamper him. She was impressed by Ben too."

Lorn grinned. "Should I ask what trash duty is?"

"Rigo has to collect trash from every home near our village and take it to where we burn it. It's something we have youths in trouble do. What kind of punishments do your youths get?"

Lorn's good humor vanished. "Decker had them shackled behind the lodge for an entire day, regardless of the age or crime. No food, no water, and no regard for the weather. I won't do that. I think trash duty sounds like a good start if I need to address a problem."

"I can email you a list of things we do, if you'd like. We don't hurt youths. I've had to whip a few of the clan, but they were adults. I wish I didn't have to, but the elders expect some Lycan traditions to hold. I always accept the offer of any man who wishes to take a woman's punishment, otherwise I allow my mate to do the whipping. I can't strike a female myself."

"I'd welcome your suggestions." Lorn hesitated. "I need a lot of advice. Do you mind if I call you for it?"

"I'd be honored, Lorn. Anytime."

"Thank you. I need to call the other clans."

"No need. I've been appointed the temporary liaison. I hope that's okay with you. We figured you'd have enough bullshit to deal with, without having to make multiple calls each time you needed to reach out to the other clans."

"I'm relieved." Garson walked into the office and took a seat across the desk. Lorn motioned for him to remain quiet. "Thank you, Velder, I look forward to our talks. I have to go. We're trying to make sense of Decker's office. It's imperative that we find the land deeds."

"Why?"

"Decker might attempt to sell the land to get revenge."

"We used the Homestead Act to acquire this much territory when it was finally offered in Alaska. Very few humans wanted to claim this land. It was too harsh an area and too remote. A certain amount of acreage was available to each family who applied, so we had all VampLycan families file. Each deed was placed in their names. Unless Decker forced your people to sign them over to him, he could only sell what he and his sons registered and claimed."

"That's good to know, but I'd hate to find out he sold the lodge and most of the town out from under us."

"I can send someone to Juneau and have them access the deeds if you're worried. It wouldn't be difficult to persuade them to change ownership into your name. That's one of the advantages of being what we are. Our gift of manipulating humans when the need arises. I would consider this one of those times."

"Decker could do the same."

"Not if I leave a few of my men in Juneau until he's caught. They'll be on the lookout for him or any other VampLycans not ours."

It was brilliant. "I'd appreciate that."

"It's best for us all. We don't need humans moving into the heart of VampLycan territory. I'll send them right away to check the records so they're there first thing in the morning."

"Thank you. I'll talk to you soon." Lorn ended the call.

"Are the other clans cool with us?" Garson gripped the arms of the chair.

"Yes. Thankfully."

"Good." He relaxed. "Everything is quiet. Where's Kar?"

"He's guarding Kira."

Garson's mouth dropped open. "Isn't she dead?"

Lorn leaned forward and braced his elbows on the desk. "No. She was attacked by Vampires but they didn't take her. The bastards turned her. She's inside my den."

"Holy shit!"

"I'm trusting you because you're one of mine now." Lorn carefully studied him. "Is that a problem?"

"No. I like Kira. Did she become mean? That happens sometimes with Vampires. They lose their humanity."

"She's the same. I've been feeding her my blood."

"You weren't just saying that stuff to Perri about blood last night to give her hope for some kind of normal future for her kids?"

"It's true, according to Velder. I'm hoping it will strengthen Kira's dormant Lycan genetics."

"Is it working?"

"She woke during the day."

"That's great, man! It means she can come back to the clan and nobody will be able to stake her to the ground."

"That's never going to happen. She's my true mate. I don't give a damn what others think. Nobody will hurt Kira, or anyone else with strong Vampire traits."

Garson swallowed. "I guess you weren't dicking around when you said things were going to change."

"No. I wasn't. Is that an issue for you?"

"Nope. I'm good. Is the ban still in effect for dating or fucking humans?"

"For now, yes. It's not a death sentence, though. Not anymore. Let's get the clan settled and then we'll go over the rules one at a time and see what needs changing."

"Fair enough. I'm hoping you decide we can take them as lovers. Humans dig me."

Lorn snorted, amused. "It's our pheromones. It draws them to us."

"I don't care what it is. I hate going into the human town to collect the mail every week and having to break hearts when I refuse the women."

"Whatever's decided, remember not to tell them where you live. The last thing we need is humans showing up and asking a lot of questions or snooping around."

"I know. One-night stands only and always wear condoms. I'm cool with that."

"Just don't do anything yet. Let's get a handle on this clan before we think about any interactions with humans."

Kira couldn't stand staying inside the den any longer. Lorn had been gone for hours. She'd promised to remain below while the sun was up but it had gone down hours ago. Kar patrolled Lorn's land so it would be safe if she just got a little air near the entrance.

She stepped out from behind the boulders and froze, her new eyesight making her smile. It wasn't difficult to spot Kar. He sat on a fallen tree about twenty yards away, his back to her. She whistled low and he jerked, twisting his head until their gazes locked. He was on his feet and striding toward her in the next second.

"Are you alright? Are you hungry? We could hunt if you want, as long as we don't go far."

"I'm bored shitless," she admitted. "Have you heard from Lorn? How did the meeting go with the clan? Were there any more challenges?"

"He hasn't called."

She worried at that.

"I didn't see a dish anywhere or solar panels. I take it there's no television inside Lorn's den?"

Kar must have read her fear and was trying to distract her. She was more than happy to let him. "No."

"Mine has satellite TV and a hot tub."

Kira had only been inside two dens. The one her father had built for their safety and Lorn's. They were usually basic survival shelters. "Really?"

"Yeah. I've got a full kitchen, separate bedroom, and a killer stereo system. I even had to dig out more space to make a spare room for my friend Garson. He likes my den way better than the one he has. I offered to help him when he moved out of his parents' place and got his own land but he turned me down. Big mistake. He has a compost toilet." Kar wrinkled his nose, showing his distaste. "I want to live in comfort if we ever have to stay underground for long periods of time. I hope Lorn's place is more updated than Garson's. I can't imagine cold showers from water collected from melted snow and rain."