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PROLOGUE

Grant ith a start and iain At least, he believed her to be his mate All he could see was creamy skin and terrified chocolate-brown eyes

The fe h the inky waves, but could not reach her The more he tried to push the blackness aside, the deeper he sank Then, slowly, as she rean to pull her under

He could taste his own fear as her gasping cries for help echoed in his et free, enraged at their helplessness In the end, she disappeared as the darkness took her, the pain in his chest the only confirmation she had not survived

How had Adriel and Declan faced these nightmares and remained sane?

He looked at the clock; it wasn't quite hed If he went back to sleep now, he risked having a second nightmare, but if he didn't, he'd be exhausted for patrols the next day

He lay back in his bed and brought his foreares that haunted him

How could you fight so you couldn't touch?

CHAPTER ONE

Grant felt like he'd only been asleep a fewat his front door Bleary-eyed, he got out of bed and stumbled down the stairs When he opened the door, he was shocked to see his unit leader standing in front of hi?" he asked

Adriel looked just as tired as he felt Grant turned to look at the clock on the wall; it was just a little bit after three am

"Stefan just came to visit"

"At three am?" Grant asked

Adriel nodded "A few of the children do not feel well and are asking for you on Level Six"

Grant frowned in confusion "Why me?"

Adriel cocked his head to one side "Good question Are you able to co him a flat, exhausted look

Grant nodded absently "Of course Give et dressed" He shut the door, went back upstairs, and pulled on the first things he came across It would be a miracle if he matched; he could barely keep his eyes open Satisfied he at least had his body covered, he went downstairs and left with Adriel They walked in silence toward the tunnel Adriel held out his arether, they rose to Level Six Once they reached the marketplace, Grant saw Stefan push away fro Alpha walked over to greet them

"Grant, thank you for co well One of them is Benji's foster sister Clara; the other two are the Hamilton boys, Ricardo and Matteo

Grant turned to Stefan "They actually asked for me?"

Stefan nodded "Yes They called out for Mr Grant Well" he paused, "except for Benji; he's not talking yet, but we all know he's taken with you His foster uy is probably picking up on the stress in the house" Though young for an Alpha, Stefan took his position seriously Grant had never seen an Alpha so closely involved with his pack h they were family; it was this practice that had won him the respect and admiration of most of the warriors

They quickly h the vendor stalls, which were closed for the night, to the wide opening that led to the refugee ca project for the witches had turned into creating a tiny city carved out of the walls of the cavern Stefan led them to the third house, and they veered to the left He knocked on the door, and a worried looking shifter answered

Tobias and Susan Garcia were young parents with huge hearts They had taken in Benji almost immediately when the poor child was orphaned When the exhausted father saas on his doorstep, he looked relieved

"Grant, thank you for co Susan's been up with Benji for the past six hours while I've been sitting with Clara She can't get hiht Both of the Ha they don't feel well Personally, I think Benji is upset because Clara is crying" He led theh the neat and tidy home to the back door, opened it, and showed them to the open courtyard where both families and the three children waited Grant was surprised to see that Dr St John was kneeling beside theone of the children