"Then who the hell should I worry about?" I snapped.

Esmee's gaze flickered toward Lila, who was sobbing and trying uselessly to pry Taylor's hands off her arms.

“Her family is still out there,” Esme said. “And they won't stop until Judy is found. Now that Gem has been restored, and the magic has been placed inside of its rightful host... they can now sense the shift... they will know she is here, and they will come to get her."

I let out a deadly snarl that could bring chills to the darkest soul. Anger flared inside of me.

"Over my dead body," I snarled, my voice gravely as I fought to control my wolf.

Esme blinked, seemingly unaffected.

"I mean you no harm, Alpha... you must believe me," she said, her tone calm. "I only intend to help... Judy is my family after all... and we always protect our own."

"Your family?" I asked, my eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about?"

"She is my grandchild... the rightful heiress to the Blackwell empire and the true host of magic."

I blinked, confused by what she was saying. I didn't have time for this.

"Get her to your doctor," Esme said, her eyes flickering to Judy's face despite my best efforts to shield her. “I know it'll make you feel better and think more rationally once you know for sure that she is going to be okay. But please... when she wakes... allow me time to speak with her. Our talk is long over-do."

A thoughtful look crossed over Esme's face.

I almost told her no and that she would never speak with my mate. But then I thought of Judy...she's been wanting to know about her family for some time now. She would never forgive me if I kept something like this from her... something this important...another piece to her puzzle.

She would want to speak to Esme to get more information. That was how Judy was, and I loved that about her.

"Fine," I said after a moment of pause. "You may enter my territory under the guise of 3 of my best warriors and my Beta. I will give you supervised time to speak to Judy... I will not leave her side. You are to keep your hands to yourself, and if you step out of line or do something questionable, I'll have you removed and banned from ever setting foot on my territory again. I don't give a fuck if I just became partners with your son."

A small smile tipped the corner of her lips, and she nodded her head once.

"I will abide by your rules," she said softly. "I have a feeling what I have to say is something you'd both want to hear anyway. As I said, I only want to help mean neither of you any harp, and must keep if I my

distance to prove that to you... It's a

small price that I will pay

I stared at her for a moment longer before I finally pulled my eyes away from her and onto Taylor. He met my gaze and gave me a firm nod; I didn't have to tell him what to do... he already knew.

Without much thought, I turned and

started towards the back. My movements were quick. I ran with the speed of a thousand wolves; my feet hating the pavement once we broke through the gearing othe woods.

I jumped over the dead rogues on the ground, not even batting an eye at them.

Eliza's clinic came into view, and seeing that the light was still on, I let out a breath. She was still there...she can help.

I burst through the doors; the waiting area was empty, not even Eliza's assistant was seated at her desk. But Eliza quickly rushed through the doors, her eyes wide at the sudden commotion.

"What happened?" Eliza asked, rushing to keep up with me as I stormed past her and towards her office.

"The Moon Gem impaled Judy. She lost a lot of blood, and she won't wake up,” I said over my shoulder.

"Get her on the bed and let me take a look,” Eliza said as she put on her latex gloves.

I put Judy on the bed, reluctant to pull away from her. I knew that I needed to give Eliza space, but the thought of parting from Judy made my wolf feral.

Eliza stood beside me, and she looked up, determination raw in her eyes.

"You can stay here... I know your wolf is panicking right now. Just hold her hand and

let me do my job. I promise you... I will make sure that both your mate and baby are okay."

“Thank you,” I managed to whisper, and for the first time, the moment I let myself relax and really take in Judy's disheveled and pale features... tears filled my eyes.