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At least that’s something, though it isn’t much. I feel anger bubbling to the surface. “Where is that scum now?”

“In the dungeons,” Dad answers. “Your mother castrated him, I think. Not that I checked, but after what she did with her silver knife, I doubt there’s much left.”

I snort, “Right…” But when Liam and Dad remain quiet, I pause, blinking at them. “Wait a minute. You’re not joking?”

“Why would I joke about such a matter?” Dad asks evenly.

“It wasn’t a pretty sight,” Liam muses. “But very satisfactory.”

My jaw drops open. My cute, innocent, bubbly mother… did what?

“Marius,” Dad says. “I want you to know that I won’t decide anything concerning Calvin without you. You have the final say in what happens to him. If you want to kill him, you can. If you want me to kill him, I will. If you want him to have a trial… consider it done. It’s up to you if you want to involve the Council, or if you have another idea… I’ll make it happen.”

“Really?” I ask, eyes wide. “What if I can’t decide immediately?”

Dad’s gaze is soft when he looks at me. “You can take all the time you need. He’s not going anywhere.”

I take a deep breath, trying to calm down the whirlwind of my emotions. I still feel sad and guilty for the two boys falling into Calvin’s claws, but I’m also thankful that Dad’s handled it all and given me the time I needed.

As for Calvin… I feel a grim satisfaction wash over me that he can never again hurt anyone the way he did me.

I feel like I need a break though. A break from talking about this man and what he did to me. “Why don’t we go for dinner later?” I offer my father. “Just you, Mom, and I?”

Dad looks surprised. “Are you sure you want that?”

“Yes, but under one condition.”

“And what’s that?”

“I don’t want to talk about Calvin,” I state. Even saying his name makes me sick.

Dad nods. “Of course.”

“Just…” I avoid looking at him. “Let’s go to a restaurant. I don’t want to meet at the pack house.”

There’s a hint of sadness in my father’s eyes, but he nods. “Sounds good. I will have Vincent book a table for us at a nice restaurant.”

Liam nods his approval at me, somehow managing to look both impressed and proud, which is new. He has looked at me thoughtfully, encouragingly even… but not proud. I guess there is a first time for everything.

When Eric joins our meeting, we all turn professional again. I fill everyone in on what was discussed at the Moon Blood meeting. “Celine has helped us a lot in the last few months,” Liam points out. “While it’s true that we helped her free Valerie, it’s also true that if it weren’t for Celine, we might not have been able to save Marius. No offense, brother.”

“None taken,” I say. “It’s true. I… Listen, I am not going to beat around the bush. I have a lot to do to make up with Celine. So, I would like to help her, and if she thinks it’s better to research before we let the Council raid the place, then I am going to support her.”

“She wants to minimize any casualties,” Eric says, “And I agree with her. If I set the Council on Blood Snow, we don’t know what the ranked members of Blood Snow, and particularly the Alpha, will do to the poor wolves they have enslaved.”

“I have nothing against supporting Celine,” my father adds. “She is smart, strong, and capable, and hopefully, my soon-to-be daughter-in-law. I wish more werewolf packs had alphas like her.”

Liam nods his agreement.

At the daughter-in-law part, I almost freeze—yeah, that would be nice—at the same time, I’m filled with pride by how much respect they are giving Celine.

“The question is, how many people do we want to send there?” Liam contemplates. “Probably not too many.”

“Yeah, not more than six, I’d say,” my father agrees.

“Celine is sending Marcel and Steve,” I confirm.

“Annalise’s brother?” Liam asks. He tilts his head in consideration. “He’s young, but also very strong and capable. Plus, he wants a chance to prove himself. Marcel, on the other hand, is one of Celine’s elite warriors. I can see why she’s chosen them.”