"Mom?" I ask in disbelief.


    It can''t be. How can Mom be stronger than the pack beta?


    In another pack, your mother would have been a strong Luna candidate.


    Wow.


    I''d always known Mom had a strong presence, but I would have never guessed—never, in a million years, ever—that her wolf is stronger than Dad''s.


    I wonder how that worked out. Did Mom force her wolf to submit?


    It is likely that the alpha did.


    "Alpha Renard?"


    Correct. An alpha''s bond can force submission in any wolf, and change dynamics as he wishes.


    I''d heard about things like that, of course. I knew we all had to submit, and I knew he had the power to force submission—but I don''t think I''ve ever heard of him forcing wolves to submit to other wolves.


    It happens.


    "Wow." Despite my visit with Mom yesterday, I feel a little sorry for her.


    A woman like her? With a strong wolf? She must have felt so stifled in this pack.


    Your mother is strong in wolf, but weak in human, she explains. Not all souls are well matched.


    "You said she would be a strong Luna candidate. Why can''t strong female wolves be alphas?"@@@@


    They can be. They used to be. Selene sounds frustrated. But today''s wolves don''t recognize it. An alpha today would have been King in my era.


    My mind jiggles. A Lycan King.


    Wait a second.


    "Sister Miriam called you—"


    Yes. I was Queen, in my time.


    I stare at Selene, my mouth hanging open. "Wait, you were a queen? Like, an actual queen?"


    Yes, Selene says primly, sitting straight with her head high.


    "When she called you Lycan Queen, I figured it was because you''re so..." Trailing off before I can finish the sentence, I try to think of a way to end it without offending her.


    This should help.


    My movements are more purposeful when I resume packing as my idea roots into my brain with insistence. "We''ll talk to her when we get back from the hospital."


    The hospital? She sounds startled. Vanessa isn''t at the hospital.


    "I know that. That''s not what I mean. I have an idea."


    An idea?


    "An idea to get some information out of Mom."


    She watches me for a long moment. You want me to talk to her wolf.


    I nod. "Exactly."


    I can attempt to do so, but if I do, your mother will know what I am. She still has an alpha bond with Renard. This is not something to take lightly.


    The purpose that fueled my veins disappears abruptly. "Oh. Shit."


    You can be assured they already know you''re here. This is why Lucas wants you to return.


    Now I get it. The guards. The safety. The worries about Blackwood sympathizers.


    The pack link isn''t something I think about often, as I never had the ability to talk to other wolves in my mind.


    "So they''re sitting here, working for the betterment of everyone, while they keep reporting every move to Renard?"


    Of course.


    Seriously. No wonder it''s been such a headache.


    "They should force everyone to renounce the pack."


    Some consider it barbaric. It''s a delicate situation. Selene doesn''t sound like she agrees.


    Another idea glimmers in my mind. "Selene, you''re an alpha, aren''t you?"


    We didn''t use the designation then. But yes.


    What I''m considering sounds a little evil, even to me. Part of me rebels against the idea. But the part of me that wants to save Lisa urges me on.


    "Can you force Mom to renounce her pack?"


    Selene goes silent and still, only the tip of her tail swishing as she thinks.