As I hovered outside the door to my brothers room, I wondered what I would find. Would Jasper be remorseful at the things he's done? Or would he be his usual sauve, erodite, and aloof self? One thing was for cirtain, I'd never find out unless I screwed up my courage and opened the door.

I didn't get the chance to see if I could actually find the courage to do it. No sooner had my hand begun to inch twords the door did it fly open. One look was all it took for the flames of fury, that burned in my chest like the sun, to extinguish themselves. Gone was that cocky, sure of himself boy I was used to seeing. Underneath the hagard and dog-tired energy, that rolled off him in waves, ran an hot, electric current of energy. This was not the beta wolf I was used to. This was the energy of an alpha. And it frightened me how bloody sexy I found it.

"I'm only going to say this the once," Jasper said as he stepped back and allowed me to enter the room. "I'm sorry about what happened, but, you realize that I really had no choise in the matter. Milan was my Alpha and he ordered me to do it."

"That still doesn't excuse what you've done. You've murdered innocent people and kidnapped my mother," I said more calmly than I wanted to. I realised that I wanted to fight with Jasper.

"It's fine. I forgive you," Prince Nikko said as he came up behind me, planted a kiss that felt as if it were burning into my cheek, and wrapped his arms around me. It wasn't until he walked into the room that I realized that I missed him. I also, realized that Jasper hadn't actually been talking to me.

"So, you're fine with him murdering your entire family and thrusting you into a role that you don't want," I said cooly as a spun around in his arms and looked him in the eye.

"It's like he said. He had no choice in the matter. I understand that better than most. If I'd been given the choice, I'd never become a vampire, much less the son of the Vampire King," Prince Niko said to me before he pecked me on the lips. "The bond between the Alpha and his pack is like the bond between a vampire and a maker. When they order you to do something you have no choice in the matter. their blood in you will over ride your will and make you do whatever it is that they told you to do."

"Exactly," Jasper said as he pulled out a pack of cigarettes and lit one.

"If that's the case, then, why are you here? Why are you helping us to take down your Alpha when he can mearly order you to stop or worse," I said as a turned around to face him.

"I'm no longer subservent to him. After what happened at the court, we went back to the den and Malin challenged his dad and won. I think it might have been all the vamp blood he had in him that gave him the edge he need to best his father. Anyways, after he won the challenge he became pack master to his dad's pack, the largest pack on this continant, and he made me Pack Master of the old pack."

"So, basically, by him making you Pack Master, made you an Alpha," I said as I took the cigarette from him and took a drag.

"I'm not an Alpha," Jasper said almost bitterly.

"Jasper, I can sence your energy. I always could, I just never wanted to admitt that I could. The energy that I feel coming from you has changed. You have that same energy that Malin gives off, what I can only assume is the energy of an Alpha. So, yes, brother-n-law, you are now an Alpha."

"Now that we've established that wolfie here is an Alpha male can we please go back down stairs and figure out a way to rescure our dear old muter so we can put her back on the throne, where she belongs?"

"Don't be snarky, mon cher. It doesn't suit you," I said as a kissed him on the lips and his forehead. "And let's go get the planning started."

"D'ac, Listie. What's your plan of attack," I said as we all settled down at the kitchen table. Lestie and I were both sitting in our respective lovers' laps. Lestie was plying Jasper with whatever fruity concotion of his that we were drinking and my Prince was doing the same for me.

"First, Jas, can a beta actually go against the ordr of his Pack Master," Lestie said after a he'd taken a sip of the drink.

"What do you have in mind," Jasper said as he kissed Lestie sharing the sip of drink he'd just taken.

"Worse case sinario, you'd have to challenge Malin."

"You know, brother dearest. You're not all the perceptive. Jas isn't a beta anymore," Sty said from behind a sip of his drink.

"I'd think I'd know if my future husband was an Alpha," Lestie said defensively.

"Obviously, your propinquity to Jassie Dearest has cloudecd your other eye because even I can tell that he's no longer a beta," I said. I was really beginning to think that I was getting drunk.

"Well, in that case, can you order Kia and Nate to come here and how soon can they get here," lestie siad to Jasper.

"Yes, I can, and if he runs top speed he can be here by nightfall."

"You're planning on using them as dog bait," I said somewhat incredulously.

"If you want to over simplfy things, then, yes. We'll use Malin's desire for virgins, of which I know for a fact that both Kianni and Nathair are, and their love for Malin, however misguided that maybe, to our advantage. Besides, who can say no to a pair of so-hot-they-could-be-super-models twink that a willing to do anything for you?"

"And should wolfie not go for the twin cubs," Aunt Avie said as she walked into the from from goddess knows where.

"It's 11:22 now. Sunset isn't until after 6. That gives you, Auntie dearest, just over six and half hours to give us a crash course in Magical Defense 101."

"I don't like it, but, it's the best we've got. So, lets get cracking," Aunt Avie said.

"Is that really all you have to say," I said as I took the last sip from the cup Nikko held to my lips.

"Just a thought, but, knowing mother as I do, and what she's capable of doing with magick alone, why hasn't she escaped. Maybe, this is just a thought, but, maybe Malin's found a way to block magick where he's at. If that's the case, how are we going to use magick?"

"I'm betting that he only thought to block vampire based magicks, so, you won't be able to use magick, but, as a contengency plan I had Auntie Dear go grab me a few things" Lestie said to Sty before turning to Aunt Avie. "Did you get everything on my list?"

"Yes, and Old Lady Haggis-Face gave me the stink eye as she rang everthing up," Aunt Avie said as she handed him a large paper bag.

He searched the contents of the bag for a second and when satisfied he sat it on the table. "So, we have eveything to make a curse-breaker ointment for the four of us magick users. Sty, how well versed are you in defensive magicks?"

"Well enough to best Auntie."

"Don't get cocky. It was only that one time," Aunt Avie said in a voice that was supposed to sound chiding.

"True, but, it was six times the day," Sty said with a smirk on his face.

"How good are you with potions?"

"I can follow directions."

"Ok. I leave the ointment making to you then," Lestie said the Sty before turning to the rest of us. "The rest of us will be in the basment training."

"Babe, the Prince and I don't use magic."

"I haven't forgotten about you. You're going to hate me by the time we're done training. We're going to need a real Were to practice against."

"Don't look so worried," I said to Jas with a slight grin plaster across my face, "I promise I won't kill you. Besides, I'm afraid of what brother dearest would do to me if I did."

"Somehow, that's not as reassuring as it should be," Jasper said as he downed the last of his drink.