Louve left her cousin's study with a choking feeling in her chest. Immediately she closed the door behind her, she slid to the floor and wrapped her arms around her knees, sobbing. First my mate and now my cousin, she thought.

She knew that Logan could be very stubborn about a lot of things, including sharing information about his personal life, much less the life he shared with his mate. But she did not expect him to say all those hateful words. People said things they really mean when they are angry or sad. And she knew that Logan had been very angry with her.

She would help him get the warriors he needed. Not because she had completely forgiven him for his hateful words, but because she knew how many lives would be at stake if she refused to call her father for help. She thought about the little children and women of the pack and sighed. They should not be let to suffer because of their alpha's stupidity.

She raised her head as she heard voices and stood up abruptly before anyone could catch her crying. She was Miss Louve, after all: the cousin of the alpha. She hastily dried her tears on the shirt she was wearing and started walking down the hallway. 

She turned a corner and saw two maids coming with trolleys full of food for the alpha. The bell for dinner must have been rung, she thought. The two maids curtseyed in greeting, then looked up at her. She knew that they could see her puffy eyes and red, tear-streaked cheeks but she didn't wait for them to ask questions about it. She turned and continued walking down the hallway before either of the maid could do nothing more than guess.

She went to the room that she and Casper shared as mates and walked in. The room was empty, as she thought. Casper would be having dinner in the dining room with the gamma and other members of the Council. And that was just as well. She did not want to explain her teary face to him either.

Louve walked over to the landline on the other side of the room and picked up the telephone, dialing her father's number. At this point she knew it off-hand.  

After several rings, someone picked up. "Hello?" The person said, but it wasn't the voice of her father.

"Please can I speak to Alpha Rohan of the South pack?" She asked, then waited as the person fetched her father.

A few seconds later, the previous voice was replaced by a much deeper one that she knew was her father's. "Hello, Alpha Rohan speaking." He said.

"Dad. It's me, Louve." She replied.

Her dad's voice quickly changed from brisk and official to genial and happy. "Louve, my baby!" He exclaimed. "How are you?"

"I'm fine, dad." She replied, sniffing the last of the snot away.

She heard the laughter die from his voice. "What's wrong? You sound unhappy. Who did what to you?"

"Nothing's wrong, dad. I'm fine and happy too." She replied, gripping the receiver closer to her ear in anxiety.

"You sure? Did Logan do something to you? If so–"

"Dad, it's fine." She cut him off. "Remember I'm an adult now. I can handle myself, trust me."

Her dad was one of her closest friends and confidant. He could usually tell very easily when she was feeling unhappy or glum, but today he easily missed it. Probably because she tried to convince him that he was fine.

"Alright, if you say so." He replied.

"And how's mum?" She asked.

"Oh, you know. Your mom's somewhere in the pack, doing her gardening or something. You know how she absolutely hates being holed up in one house for too long." He answered flippantly. 

There was a pause before the alpha continued. "Did you call me just to check up or is there something I should know about?" He asked her.

"Oh, yes." Louve replied and slapped her forehead. "It's...about Logan."

"I knew it was." She heard him mutter under his breath. "What did he do this time?"

"He didn't do anything. At least nothing of consequence to his pack." Louve muttered under her breath. "Actually, he needs your help. His pack has been getting attacks from rogue wolves for some months now. The number of his pack members have dwindled severely, and he can sense a battle is near. So, he was wondering if he could get a few of your warriors to complement his own small numbers. He asked me to call you to set up a meeting."

"Oh, that's not a problem." Alpha Rohan replied without any thought. "You know Logan is always welcome to anything I own. Tell him to come by my pack and pick the warriors he needs by himself."

"Alright dad, I'll relay the message. Apparently, that's all I'm good for." Louve muttered and was about to cut the call when her dad spoke up again.

"And are you sure you're okay, my love?" He asked her again. "I must confess, you're not sounding too happy."

"See dad, I just have a lot on my mind. But I'll deal with everything one at a time. There's nothing to worry or be afraid of. Okay?"

"Okay." Her dad replied. "My regards to Logan, and take care of yourself too."

"Alright dad. My regards to mum too. Tell her I love her." She said, then returned the receiver back to the telephone. She sighed deeply, running her palm across her face. Talking to her dad had made her feel even worse than better. She so hated hiding anything from him. She hadn't even told him that she had a mate now!

She walked out of the room that she shared with Casper and back to Logan's study. When she opened the door, he stood up abruptly, then sighed and sat back down as he saw who it was.

"Were you expecting someone else? Or have I disappointed the great Alpha Logan with my presence yet again?" She asked with an edge of bitterness to her voice.

"No...no." He replied, leaning back into his chair. "You were the exact person I was waiting for."

She came forward to his desk and stood facing him as he looked at her expectantly. There was dinner on his table, untouched. He seemed to be feeling as harried and on edge as she felt too.

She knew that he was waiting for her to sit down and talk to him the way she used to, but she wasn't interested in doing that anymore. She didn't feel like she could get comfortable around him again, not after what he did mere minutes ago.

"Have you...talked to your dad?" He asked tentatively, trying not to get her angry again.

"I just did, some minutes ago. He agreed to give you whatever number of warriors you want. He expects a physical meeting with you though. So, you should prepare to travel south to meet him."

"Okay, that's great. Thank you, Louve. So much." He spoke.

"Sure, whatever." Louve muttered and turned to go.

"Louve, wait!" He called and held her hand to stop her from leaving. She turned to look at him. His green eyes were smoldering and full of regret.

"Look, I am sorry for all the things I said earlier." He apologized. "I really am."

Louve looked him squarely in the eye, hers full of tears. "I have been denied a lot of things over and over in the past because of my gender. I have been stopped from joining the Council of Head Wolves, because I am a woman. But I bore all of this in good faith, because I thought I had the support of my friends and family. But what I did not expect is my own cousin and my own mate to reduce me to nothing but a baby-making machine. That, Logan, is the highest of betrayals to me." She said, then forcefully removed her hand from his and walked out of the room.