Out of the wrong side of the bed?

**Peter’s POV**
My heart filled with joy when Jess told me that she will be okay, Goddess willing.

Although she is still asleep it is as if something has switched on within her. The tenuous link we have shared since I marked her is strengthening. I think it started strengthening before the attack on her, but I can’t be sure.

I shake my head to clear it and head to the bathroom for a quick shave and a shower, before pulling on clean clothes, t-shirt and sweatpants, and heading to the kitchen.

The kitchen is well equipped. I haven’t stayed here before, but my eyes light up at the barista style coffee maker on the side, and the beans waiting to be ground and brewed. Under a cloche is a selection of pastries to put most hotel continental breakfasts to shame.

One cup of coffee and a croissant later I feel on top of the world. Only the shadows under my eyes betray the ordeals of the last 36 hours.

Barlas, my beta, walks in as I start to brew my second cup of coffee. I finish my task and follow him back to the living room, where we are joined by Griffin, Decebal and Onan.

‘Where are the prisoners?’ I bark, eager for and update on the filthy human familiars who hurt my Emma. ‘Don’t tell me you killed them both… I want answers.’

Barlas shifts uncomfortably from foot to foot.

‘Report Barlas’ exasperation in my voice.

‘We tracked the assailants back to the area the van was parked in. It appears that they had motor bikes. Even so we managed to trail them for 20 miles back to the city. The bikes, and we are sure they are the same ones as they stank of familiar, were outside a local public house, The Slaughtered Lamb. We circled the perimeter to check they hadn’t left by another route, but the only trail led into the pub. Onan and I went inside to search for them, but when we got there they were gone,’ he states.

‘What do you mean gone, how fucking incompetent are you? Not able to find two pieces of shit who hurt my luna,’ I am snarling in rage.

‘For the sake of the pack Peter give it up. Twenty years you have been on this quest and what do you find at the end of it … a pathetic human who can’t take care of herself … one who doesn’t even want you and definitely isn’t worthy of you.’ Barlas retorts angrily.

‘You don’t know her. Don’t fucking talk about her like that,’ I am ready to snap, when he continues.

‘Don’t you get it Peter... the pack is falling apart, and the attacks have gotten worse, and the pups…’ the Barlas’ voice is raw with emotion. ‘More have gone… from our pack and the small ones nearby’

I am not happy at the lack of respect shown to my Emma, she is my chosen and fated mate. And they lost the human scum, which means I don't know who or why someone is after her. But I have never seen Barlas so overwrought before either, and I need to find out about these attacks, just how many pups are missing.

As I am trying to marshall my thoughts and decide what to do next, unexpectedly the door to the bedroom flies open, and I see Em. My heart fills at the sight of my beautiful mate dressed in one of my t-shirts, hair tousled from sleep, feet covered by bandages.

The smile on my face drops as she flies past me, racing across the room and leaping at my Beta. I am so confused, why is she launching herself at him? I have her back and she is leaping on another man. I feel myself start to break inside and then I am enveloped in her emotions, the raw anger flowing off her. So much rage is flowing through our link that Braon is growling and my eyes are violet. Someone is in trouble.

I try to process what is happening and realise she is attacking my Beta. Poor Barlas has no idea what to do. She looks like a child compared to him, but her actions are pure warrior, as she punches and slaps at him and she is screaming like a banshee…. ‘The children, who has the children? You fucking bastard. What do you know… Tell me… I will pull your still beating heart out of your fucking chest and feed it to you… I will disembowel and castrate you if you keep me from them… We must find them. I must save them.’

**Emma's POV**
The knowledge that I have to save the children fills me like a torrent, and I go from zero to sixty instantaneously.

Hot rage-filled tears are running down my face and I am running, screaming, attacking.

I have to find the children, it hurts, an ache I hadn’t even realised was there. Now I know about it, I realise this is what has tortured my sleep for the last few weeks. I have been hearing them in my sleep, seeing them in a place that is cold and smells of damp and fear.

My repeated nightmare is like those other dreams I have had, sometimes pleasant sometimes not, that hint at what is to come. Why do I never understand them until they come to pass? Maybe I could have stopped this happening to those innocents. Yeah like who was I kidding like anyone would believe me.

In the real world, outside my head, I am screaming threats and obscenities and a gigantic blond man who I have backed up against a wall. Giant isn’t an understatement either, I imagine he could be a very successful American football or rugby player, probably topping six and a half foot, and shoulders so wide he could hold up the world like Atlas.

He is cowering in front of me, as I punch and slap the unfortunate guy. I am screaming at him to tell me where the children are, my voice high and scratchy even to my own ears. His eyes are a hazel brown and look both bewildered and terrified by me.

The logical part of my brain knows that this man could snap me like a twig, but I don’t care, I just want answers.

Through the red mist I become aware that three other equally large men I don’t know are watching. Their mouths open in shock and I know Peter is standing behind me, as I remember running past him as I launched my assault.

The ridiculousness of my actions penetrates through my anger, and I stop hitting him and start laughing. The laugh builds and builds, cascading hysterically out of my mouth, until I am howling. It fills the empty spaces in the living room and flows out into the rest of the suite. Bouncing off of five very confused and fearful looking males.

I need to get myself under control, I think. So I drag in a huge breath and hold it, one, two, three seconds. Then I exhale, as I repeat this, my breathing slows and the hysterical cackles subside. My tears stop flowing and start to dry on my cheeks.

I turn to Peter, I can see so many emotions flowing across his face, fear, worry, confusion, love and was that last one pride? Not sure why he would be proud of me, I have just acted like I am crazier than all the residents of Arkham Asylum combined, but as he is not looking disgusted at or with me.

I walk to him and bury myself in his embrace. His arms wrap around me. Pulling me into his hard, warm body.

‘Home’ floats through my mind.

Weirdly I can now feel Braon just below the surface, and in this moment I know that this man and his inner / outer wolf are my home, wherever they are is where I want to be. We will just have to work the rest of the family stuff around it.

Peter strokes my hair and growls, ‘Mate’ gently at me.

This makes me look up into his beautiful blue eyes, which today are the colour of the sea after the storm, a tranquil clear blue, and I let him see my acceptance; of him and all he is, and my love of him.

He lowers his face to mine, and his lips brush mine.

My mind is then blown when this voiceless communication suddenly gets a voice, as I hear *I love you so much Em* echoing in my mind. Oh my go-odness… I can hear his thoughts. Is this how they all talk when in wolf form I ponder.

Ooo… I wonder if I can do it too. I am more than rewarded when I try and his eyes widen as I open to him, and think back *I love you too, I love you both so much.*