Gina wakes-up early the next morning before Arnold. She slides out of bed carefully as she stands up next to her bed holding her headboard for support. She looks down at Arnolds sleeping form and smile. He’s been a big help to her since she left the hospital. Her back still gave her problems.

She grabs her back brace and slip it on over her nightgown. She grabs her robe and slip into her slippers and move carefully out of her bedroom, followed by Cadmus. He had a slight limp to his walk from his injuries. He had used the steps that had been built for him at the foot of the bed.

Gina scratches between his ears. Her poor wolf was as bad off as she was. According to their family doctor and the specialist she was seeing.
It was going to take some time for her to recover from her back injuries. According to the doctor, she was going to need to wear her back brace for two months. She was given some strong pain medicine and muscle relaxers. She didn’t want to get hooked on the pain medicine. Instead she was taking an herbal mixture her aunt had put together for her. It wasn’t as strong, but it didn’t make her feel sleepy or dopey.

She hears one of the other bedroom door opens. Silvia was coming out of her bedroom when she spots Gina and Cadmus. She was worried that she was in trouble for leaving her bedroom.

“Are you a morning raiser as well?” Gina wouldn’t mind some company.

Silvia shakes her head yes.

“Come on, you can join me and Cadmus for coffee or tea if you wish.” Gina starts heading towards the stairs.

“Won’t dad be upset if we turn the alarm off?” Silvia was following behind Gina and Cadmus.

She could tell the poor wolf was limping. She felt sorry for him.

“Dad won’t mind.” Gina makes it to where the hidden alarm panel was and enter her code to shut off the security sensors that monitor the living room.

The windows and doors were still armed. Normally, she would shut the front door sensor off. Then go outside and sit on the porch, but it was too cold for that.

“What would you like to drink?” She makes a cup of coffee for herself.

“Can I have hot chocolate, please?” Silvia has grown to love the hot chocolate Selina makes for them.

“You can have anything you want little sister. You’ll never want in this house.” Gina knew how Silvia felt.

She felt like that when she first came home with Jack. Her and Julia had been tortured and hurt. They didn’t trust Jack at first, because they had seen him kill all the men that guarded and tortured them. They were worried he would do that to them, but then they saw how much he cared and treated them. They have seen what he would do to protect them. They had only been at the house for a week, before a team had been sent to retrieve them.

The Arab master they had was dead, but his brother wanted to avenge him and retrieve them. The people he sent ended up dead and their bodies were mailed back with a letter to the man. He didn’t take the hint and sent another mercenary team to retrieve them. Her father killed them and then asked their aunt and uncles to protect them, while he took care of business.

She heats up some water and milk. She knew the mixture of hot chocolate mix they used required water and milk. She walks over to the pantry and grab everything she needs to make banana nut muffins for breakfast.

“Can I help?” Silvia wanted to help Gina.

“Sure, here is what you can do.” Gina grabs the recipe book Selina keeps in the kitchen and shows Silvia the recipe.

Silvia looks at the recipe and follows it to the letter. She was enjoying herself with Gina standing next to her helping. She notices that Cadmus was laying down on one of the floor pillows they had for the wolves in the kitchen.

“While you were asleep. Julia got shot last night.” Silvia had been up working on some school work when Julia and Christmas came home from the hospital last night.

Gina looks to her little sister “how did that happen? Did Christmas shoot her?”

Silvia just smiles “no, she was injured while searching a car for drugs. She took a bullet to her leg and Sphinx took two bullets.”

Gina shakes her head. Julia wasn’t fully healed from their last assignment. Her arm was still healing and now Sphinx was hurt.

“How is Sphinx doing?”

“Dad won’t allow anyone near him right now. He said the recovery room was off limits, till Sphinx was feeling better.” Silvia wonders if this type of thing always happens with her new family.

Gina notice Silvia had an unspoken question she was thinking about.

“Out with it, Silvia. You’re thinking about something.” Gina puts the first batch of muffin mix into the oven.

“Do you and Julia always get hurt?” Silvia carries over her tray and stick it in the oven.

“Normally no, Silvia. Me and Julia were chasing down a very bad guy. He set a trap for us that we couldn’t had known about and tried to kill us.
Also, as you know Julia is a police officer. Which means she puts her life on the line every time she leaves the house. She never knows what
she is going to get herself into. Dad, lost his first wife while she was doing her job. She was a Montana, Police officer.” Gina remembers her Grandmother telling her about it.

“How about you? Why do you do what you did?” Silvia looks at her sister.

“Because I hate sex traffickers and you always back-up family. I believe in what Julia and Tizzy were doing.” Gina checks on the first batch of muffins and saw they were ready.

She pulls hers out and check the ones Silvia put in. It wasn’t ready yet. She puts a second tray in.

Silvia just thinks about what Gina told her. Alyona comes stumbling in while Gina and Silvia were standing around waiting on the muffins in the
oven. She waves good morning to everyone as she stumbles over to the coffee maker and fixes herself a cup.

“Bad dreams last night?”

Alyona nods her head yes. She still had nightmares of being raped by the men she was forced to have sex. She has been doing better since Gina, Julia and Tizzy freed her.

Gina walks over and hugs her.

Alyona returns the hug. She wasn’t used to people caring for her. She feels Silvia hug her as well.

They stay like that for a few minutes, before Silvia runs over to the oven and pull the muffins. They weren’t brunt but, were a little darker. She prepares the last batch and put them in the oven.

The rest of the family come stumbling into the kitchen. The only person that didn’t show-up was Julia.

“Where’s Julia?” Gina was looking around for her older sister.

“I told her to stay in bed and I would bring her some breakfast. She’s concern about Sphinx.” Christmas walks over and starts fixing a tray for
her wife.

“He’s doing okay, but it will be better if he has a few days to recover.” Jack looks over towards Christmas.

“I’ll tell her, sir.” Christmas brews Julia’s favorite coffee.

“Christmas, you’re family now. Either call me Jack or dad.” Jack smiles at her.

Krisha stays close to Cheshire. Tizzy wraps her arm around her waist. She leans in close to Krisha.

“You’re among family sis. Everyone here would give their life to protect you.” She hugs her.

Ikaika wraps his arm around her as well “you can count me in that statement as well, Krisha. I will protect you with my life as well.” He places a kiss on her cheek.

Christmas just looks at everyone, before heading upstairs to Julia’s bedroom. She walks in and find her wife sitting up in bed.

“I take it, that everyone is finally up?” Julia was watching her wife.

“Yes, and your dad said to give Sphinx a few days to recover, before seeing him.” Christmas sets the tray she had carried up, across Julia’s lap.

While everyone is having breakfast, the doorbell rings. Jack heads towards the front door and answer it. When he opens the door, he notices Captain Basset standing at the door.

“Captain Basset, it’s good to see you again. Come on in.” Jack steps aside to let the captain in.

“Thanks Jack.” Captain Basset walks in and notices two young wolves looking at him.

He recognized Terror right away. He had the darkest fur, but he didn’t recognize the other wolf. He follows Jack into the living room.

Debbie comes walking in with a to go cup in her hand filled with coffee. She knew how cops were when it came to coffee.

“Good Morning Captain Basset. If your anything like my husband. I know how much you enjoy a nice cup of coffee.” Debbie hands the to go cup to the Captain.

“Thank you.” Captain Basset takes a sip and it was just like he likes his coffee. Black with some sugar.

“So, what brings you this way, Captain?” Jack was curious.

“I came to informed Julia that she’s to stay out of the investigation of the people that shot her, Officer Harris and Officer King. Also, I want her
to take some time off, till she is fully healed. Also, how is Sphinx?” Captain Basset liked Sphinx. Most of the officers liked him.

“He’s going to make it. He just needs time to recover.” Jack needed to go down and check on him.

“That’s good to hear.” Captain Basset takes a sip of his coffee.

“Do you know who shot at her and the other officers?” Debbie was curious.

“Not yet, but it won’t be long till we do. We found the SUV they drove during the attack with the back window shot out. There was a bullet in the back of the passenger head rest. It matched the second bullet Julia fired.” Captain Basset knew it had been Julia’s from her report and from a copy of the ballistic report they had on her from killing the gang members.

“I’ll make sure her wife keeps her out of trouble.” Debbie was going to make sure her daughter is occupied while she is recovering.

They talk for a few more minutes and Captain Basset is shown upstairs to Julia’s bedroom. He knocks on the door.

“Enter!” Julia had been informed that her Captain was here.

Captain Basset enters and notices Julia in bed with Christmas sitting nearby.

“How are you feeling, Julia?”

“I’m doing okay, sir. Have you found out who shots at us and why yet?” Julia wanted the people responsible.

“Nope, we are still looking for them. We found the SUV you shot abandoned. Your second shot hit the headrest on the passenger seat. There was a second set of tire tracks that lead off towards the highway.”

“Wouldn’t that mean that the situation was staged?” Christmas was looking towards Julia and her Captain.

“It does make it look like it, but how would they know when it would happen?” Julia was curious.

“Well, it doesn’t concern you, Julia. I don’t want you involve in this investigation and I am asking you to take some time off to heal.” He looks directly at Julia.

“She will. The bullet shattered her femur, so she can’t walk without help.” Christmas looks directly at Julia with a look on her face that said she will follow her captain’s order.

Julia just looks at her wife and resign herself that she wasn’t going to win the argument or convince Christmas.

“Well it’s time for me to go. It’s been nice meeting you Christmas.”

“And you Captain Basset.” Christmas gets up and escorts the Captain downstairs.