Squeezing her eyes shut so hard she saw spots, Claire tried to find an answer that made sense. She could not fathom forsaking Thólos even if she had come to hate what it had become—even if everything about a home that she once loved was gone. It was like clinging to the bones of a long dead friend thinking they might one day wake up and hug you back. Grasping at straws, Claire said, “Being parted from the Alpha is dangerous during gestation.”

“I would not be parted from you either, little one,” Shepherd interjected, his voice holding the trace of a smile hidden in his eyes. “We will travel to our new home together.”

Forcing her eyes open, she looked at the set of Shepherd’s eyes, dissected his almost eager expression, and did not trust a word he said. “You will leave Thólos, really?”

Shepherd increased the purr, and noticed at once how the sound made her jump and glare right at him. “I am going to leave Thólos... with you.”

Clutching at the hand that held hers, feeling a little shaken, Claire demanded, “What of Nona, Maryanne, Corday? What of them?”

He shook his head before his words hissed passed his scarred lips. “Little one, you have to give them up. Aside from Miss Cauley, they believe you are dead. Make peace with it and move forward.” Shifting from the chair, kneeling before her, Shepherd wrapped an arm around her middle and cupped her cheek again, his big thumb swiping away the tears. “There is a home for us in Greth Dome; I will give you something beautiful. The best tutors for our children, plenty of unrestrained culture for our family to enjoy...” He spoke honestly, “But, no, there will never be a future in Thólos, or further time with your friends.”

Reading between the lines, Claire saw what Shepherd intended towards the people of Greth Dome. “And what of friends for your son?”

He explained simply. “There will be Follower children, and we will create siblings.”

Bitterly, Claire asked, “And will this grand home have windows?”

“Many windows with views of distant mountains, and you will be able to move freely through our den.”

Claire nodded, finishing Shepherd’s thought aloud, “Because it will be on a base full of armed Followers who do your bidding, where I might live locked away from real civilization while you control a new population.”

“I will order for a terrace to be cleared for your use as a garden as well.” Gently he tried to coax, “You can ineptly kill all the plant life you like.”

She felt his urging through the thread, the heated pulse and forthright reassurance. Her attention ran over every part of the man who was offering her a future. But something was very wrong and she could feel it bubbling up inside her like panic. “I need to go outside.”