My mother rarely talked about her family, but she told us stories about her Aunts, the Valkyries. They weren’t blood-related, but you spend a few centuries working and fighting side by side, and who is to tell you that you aren’t family?

I called back immediately after she hung up, but she didn’t answer. I called my sister Jane.

“You do know that I’m five hours ahead of you right? It’s almost dawn here,” she said through a stifled yawn.

“Is that tracker you put in Dad’s truck still active?” I asked in a hurried voice.

I could hear her rummaging through things as she spoke.

“What’s going on?”

“I’m not sure exactly, but he is or was with Mom and now Great Aunt Sigrid is there.”

“He’s with Mom?” she asked incredulously.

“Yeah, I couldn’t believe it either. Something serious is going on Jane. Dad turned a human.”

There was silence as that sunk in for her.

“His truck is up near Forest Hill outside of Sacramento”

“Thanks,” I said.

“I’m on the next flight home,” she said and she hung up.

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As a Council member, I had contact information for every Alpha on the North American continent. I also had to contact my siblings. I was contemplating who to call next when my phone rang.

“What the hell is going on? Is dad okay?” came my sister Lirah’s voice.

“Jane called you already?”

“Yes! Now tell me what’s going on?”

“I’m not entirely sure. Dad got caught up in some stuff and now mom is there. I was just about to call Lawrence.”

“Hold on.”

I heard my sister speaking to someone. Whoever it was didn’t seem to want to wake up.

“Lawrence get your ass up or you’re never getting this again!”

“You’re sleeping with Lawrence now?”

“Shut up and tell him what you need.”

Lawrence picked up and I gave him a quick rundown of exactly what I needed. He knew better than to hesitate to follow my orders. Before I hung up, Lirah got back on the phone.

“I’m going with his team. Once we have Mom and Dad, I’ll bring them home.”

“I also need you to get this young man that Dad turned. Whatever is going on, he’s the reason it started. Try and be discreet. D.A.M.E agents will be swarming those woods soon. I assume she already knows, but let's not give her a reason to come here.”

“You should probably send up a flare. I think it's time we all came home,” she said wearily.

“I think you’re right.”

She hung up.

I could smell him as he approached. When he got to the front door, I told him to come in.

“What the hell is going on with Dad? I just got a call that several D.A.M.E. agents were killed including Juanita Riley.”

“Of course, she knows. Well, you officially know more than I do. My mother called, but she had to hang up to deal with the Valkyries,” I replied.

“Now he has the Valkyries after him! What the hell is he getting into out there? This was supposed to be a simple disciplinary mission.”

“What is ever simple where he is involved?”