The tiny girl stirred against my chest.
I froze.
Her cheek pressed to my skin.
Her heartbeat fluttered against mine.
For one terrible second, every violent thing inside me went still.
Then the baby sighed.
Trusting.
Stupidly, impossibly trusting me. A golden wolf.
My vision blurred gold.
Keres saw it.
“My queen,” he said carefully.
I looked up.
He was holding a baby against his chest with one arm and had his claws out in his other hand.
Ridiculous male.
Beautiful male.
Murderous, shaking, terrified male.
Good.
He should be terrified.
We all should.
Aiden turned to the freed women. “Can anyone carry one? We need to move them now.”
Several came forward.
The first girl Thane had carried earlier stepped into the nursery, pale and trembling, but with her chin lifted. “Give
