In another few moves, she’d pulled out the biscuits and covered them with a towel and had finished with the bacon and hash browns. Wolves did love a big breakfast and she was usually in too great a hurry to treat herself to one at home.

“Grace? Honey, your cell phone is ringing,” Cade called out as he came downstairs toward the kitchen.

“I’m down here,” she replied, moving to meet him at the bottom of the stairs. He kissed her quickly and handed her the phone.

“Hello?”

“Is it true?” Warren screamed into the phone. She held it away from her ear.

“Is what true, Warren?” She’d known this moment would occur, in fact, had wondered why it’d taken so long. At the same time, she was glad there were several states between them just then.

Cade and Lex both moved to her, each man touching her to calm her.

“You betrayed me! You bitch, I’ll kill you for this.” Warren snarled, his oily veneer stripped away. She’d seen him like this a few times before, once when he’d nearly beaten her to death when she was a teenager.

“For what, Warren?” Why she was deliberately baiting him she didn’t know. Maybe he’d have a stroke and die, saving everyone the trouble of a war.

“You’ve mated with Cade Warden, you’ve given him information about my labs. Don’t think I didn’t know.”

“Well, as it happens, I’d made an appointment to give the National Pack Aligned wolves the information about your little secret torture program and when I walked into the room Cade was there and he turned out to be my mate. I didn’t plan that part, only the part where I exposed your sick and disgusting predilection for bringing pain to others.” Her voice remained utterly calm. “And now here I am, Alpha of Cascadia. Golly, funny how that works, isn’t it?”

Lex snorted a laugh and Cade just shook his head and held his hand out for the phone. She shrugged and handed it to him. As far as Grace was concerned, she was done playing games with Warren so let Cade take over if he chose.

“Why hello, Warren. Or, should I say, brother? You’ve been a very naughty boy. Imagine putting sweet Grace in a position of having to come to us with your data. And what data it is. My, if you weren’t marked for death before that for daring to hurt my sister and bringing so much misery to the world because you weren’t born an Alpha for real, like me, you’d have earned it with this information. Now. We’ve established a few things. First, Grace is my mate and my wife and she’s now Alpha of Cascadia. That means she’s mine to protect and has the position and power of this Pack behind her. It would be very silly of you to attempt to harm her. Just sayin’. We’ve also learned you’re outmatched and if you were smart, you’d give it up and get out of Dodge. Sadly, every single experience I’ve ever had with you proves that you’re a little boy dressing up in his daddy’s clothes. They don’t fit, Warren. You’re not an Alpha. You’re just a sad little boy, twisted and marked for death. Don’t call my wife again.”

He disconnected and handed Grace the phone.

“Well, breakfast will be cold. Come on.” She patted Lex’s arm and leaned in to kiss Cade and walked past them both into the kitchen.

“Lex, you sit. I’m going to take this in to Nina.”

Lex started to speak but she shook her head. “No. It needs to be done. I’m a doctor and I’m the Alpha here and this silliness needs to be overcome if we’re all to live here in the same house. It’ll be better if you let me do this on my own.”

Grace made up two plates, heaped them both with food. Poured two glasses of juice and another of milk and put them on a tray and headed up to deal with Nina once and for all.

When she toed the door open Nina sat on the bed, a book in her hands. “About time.” She looked up and frowned. “Oh.”

“Yes, yes, you were expecting Lex but you got me. Good thing I’m a doctor who’s dealt with pregnant wolves enough to know if you can get out of bed. Not that I’d let you without your own doctor’s okay. I don’t want to step on any toes.” She put her own plate down and handed Nina the tray. “Eat.”

“I’m sure the Pack doctor will be here soon. You don’t need to stay. I’ll wait for her.”

“Oh shut up. God, you’re a pain in the ass. What’s your deal anyway? You’re gorgeous, you have a great man like Lex, the Wardens love you. And yet, you have some unreasonable thing about me. Well, too damned bad. I said eat. Or are you going to be so stupid about this you withhold nutrition from the baby?”

Nina narrowed her eyes but began to eat anyway. “Cade’s a good cook.” Nina smirked and Grace laughed.

“Yes, he is. But in this case, I made breakfast.” She dabbed her mouth with her napkin and settled in. “Look, here’s the deal. Cade Warden is a strong, sexy, smart wolf. He’s also mine. Not yours. Never was yours. He’s your brother-in-law and your anchor. I hope you enjoyed having sex with him because it’ll never happen again and we both know it. More importantly, he knows it.” Grace held up her hand to keep Bitchface silent. “Oh please, don’t waste my time with denials.”

“You think I’m gorgeous?”

“Needy too apparently. Anyone with eyes can see it. All that hair and the skin and the boobs. God.”

“So you keep the bitch all stored up so you can spring in on people at your whim?”