Blackfeather Woods I will show you some tenderness

If anyone were paying close attention to the pattern of leadership in Blackfeather from its genesis to the present, they would notice something: all of the Betas were Meldresi's lovers.

It wasn't on purpose, however. Bane was chosen to be the sire of Meldresi's children by Mephala, not by her (then again she was in heat and really horny at the time too). He was also an active member of the pack, loyal to her and fierce. Who else would she choose for a Beta? Burke was the same; strong and loyal, taking care of her children as well as providing for the pack. While she and Burke had not coupled yet (she probably would do it if he wasn't still sick), their interactions were far more intimate. She even went on to allow Burke to sleep in her own den!

She was returning to this little haven, with Potema not too far behind her. The two of them were returning from another training session in healing, with the Night Queen showing her princess the finer points in poisons. It would not be long before she employed a sadistic, but beneficial tactic in teaching Potema: live subjects. But that was a matter for another day.

Damien had his head poked into the den. From the voices she heard, he was speaking to Burke, questioning him about his promotion to Beta. It had been a long time since the last Beta, so her children never heard of such a term, sadly. "Or if I'm sick or injured, gods forbid." She said, entering the conversation.