Hank and I were tangled in the sheets of my bed, talking softly about nothing, when a pounding erupted on my door—a dangerous, feral, insistent sound.

"What the hell is that?" Hank gasped, sitting up and whipping his head toward the front of my apartment.

"I—I don't know," I stuttered, fear seizing me. The pounding ceased for a moment, and we both sat frozen, unsure what to do. Then, a voice shattered the silence.

"Cora!" it shouted, and my jaw dropped. I knew that voice. "Open the damn door, Cora!"

"Oh my god," I murmured, standing and wrapping my naked body in the sheets—unnervingly bashful in that moment. The pounding resumed.

"Do you know who it is?" Hank asked, hurriedly getting out of bed and pulling on his pants.

"Yes," I breathed, quickly replacing the sheets with my robe and rushing through the living room. "It's fucking"

But Hank, standing in my bedroom doorway, saw for himself the moment I opened the door.

Roger's fist was still raised, but it dropped as he glared down at me. "God damn it, Cora," he growled, storming past me into the apartment. "Don't you ever check your pho—"

He froze, silenced by the sight of Hank standing in my bedroom doorway, pulling on his shirt. Roger turned slowly, scanning me from head to toe in my bathrobe. He remained speechless.

"What are you doing here, Roger?!" I hissed, filling the silence. I slammed the door shut and stalked toward him, shoving him. "You scared the hell out of us!"

"Cora, damn it," Roger growled, snapping out of his shock and ignoring Hank. "It's a crisis—Ella and Sinclair have been blowing up your phone for an hour—"

"What?!" I gasped, finally spotting my phone wedged between the couch pillows. I grabbed it and saw that Ella had been calling and texting for the past hour. I quickly scanned the messages, glancing at Roger.

"What'swhat's this all about?" I stuttered, my heart pounding. I couldn't grasp the situation, but something involved Rafe, a kidnapping, and a note. "Is the baby—"

"He's fine for now," Roger growled, moving close and wrapping his hand around my upper arm. "But they need you. It's something about the sperm bank; they want to talk to you about what happened that day—"

(The following section, "1100k up at 1, SIUCkEU. Vildt? ne spe mayo!?", appears to be gibberish and has been omitted.)

"Yes!" he almost yelled. "God, Cora, let's go—you can ask questions in the car!"

I felt his fury, worry, and impatience, but it only fueled my defiance. "Fine!" I shouted. "God, Roger, give me ten seconds! Obviously, I'm coming!" I ripped my arm from his grasp and glared at him as I moved toward my bedroom, giving Hank a nudge back into the bedroom and closing the door.

"What's going on?" Hank asked calmly. I glanced at him, feeling reassured. At least he was good in a crisis. I handed him my phone. "Can you summarize Ella's texts while I get dressed? I can't do both."

Hank nodded and read some of the texts aloud, skipping the less important ones. I got the gist, and my heart ached for my sister. After all she'd been through with the pregnancy, I thought it was over.

"Cora!" Roger shouted, banging on the door, interrupting Hank. "Seriously?! What's taking so long! Let's go!"

"I'M COMING!" I yelled, fed up with his impatience. "God damn Alpha bullshit…" I muttered, pulling on my sneakers without tying them. Hank crossed the room, handed me my phone, and lifted a hand to my face.

"That's a pretty good summary," he said softly, rubbing my cheek. "Are you going to be all right? Can I help?"

"No," I sighed, covering his hand and shaking my head. "Thank you, Hank, but—"

"Cora!" Another yell and pound. Roger, with his wolf hearing, was eavesdropping.

I glared at the door, then nodded. "Come on," I said, moving away from Hank. "We'd better go before he breaks it down."

"I'm not going to break it down," I heard Roger growl, but I rolled my eyes and opened the door.

"Ready?" I asked, breezing past him.

"I've been ready," he snarled, keeping pace. We waited for Hank to catch up.

"Thanks, Hank," I said, smiling as I locked my apartment door. "For the food and…the nice time."

"Anytime, Cora," he replied. "You'll let me know how it goes?"

"Of course," I responded, turning, but Roger grabbed my hand and pulled me away.

"Oh my god," Roger groaned, hauling me down the hall. "Cora, let's go!"

(The following section, "Let go of me! Ciy, Smackiу at mane, but it aves mommy. I remember to tum allu wave to Hank as we turn the corner towards the stairs. Hank awkwardly returns my wave as he watches Roger and I disappear.", contains unclear phrasing and has been slightly adjusted for clarity.)

I waved to Hank as we turned the corner. He awkwardly waved back as we disappeared.

Roger didn't let go, and I practically jogged to keep up as he strode down the stairs and to his car, which was still running.

"Is Rafe being kidnapped?" I asked, angry. "What's the rush?"

"The rush," Roger replied, glaring as we both sat down. "Is that our nephew is in danger, and our siblings want us there now."

"Fine," I replied, sneering as I buckled my seatbelt. "Drive. Try not to kill us."

Roger didn't reply, speeding out of the parking lot. I was pinned back, but surprisingly, not scared. I trusted his driving.

"God," Roger said, rolling down the window.

"What?" I asked, curious. He'd gotten me to the car in less than five minutes; what could be wrong?

"You smell like him," Roger growled, revulsion thick in his voice. "He's all over you. Gross."

I stared, appalled, then smiled despite everything. "Don't be jealous," I murmured, looking out the window.

But with his wolf hearing, I knew he heard me. I saw his flinch in the window's reflection.