“How’d you know I like the water?” I ask Jax. I reach my hand into the crystal-clear surface of the lake.

  Jax chuckles. “I’m good at reading people. It’s a gift of mine.”

  I look at him with my eyebrows raised. “Nice gift. Is it an air wolf thing?”

  He shrugs. He tosses a pebble into the lake. “I guess. Not all of the air packs get extra gifts besides the usual. You know, light on our feet, ability to mask scent and move fast. And not all of us can do even those as well as others.” He tilts his head back toward the compound. “Nobody is as fast or as good at reading and cataloging scents like Hunter. But I can read people in a different way. Sort of like knowing what they want, or sensing their emotions.”

  Wow. “So, Hunter can’t sense emotions like you?” I don’t care, I don’t care.

  Jax grins back at me, clearly too happy with my curiosity about a certain alpha. “Hunter is absolutely clueless when it comes to reading emotion. He’s probably the fastest and strongest wolf I’ve ever met, but he is a hard nut to crack.”

  I nod, slowly and not too eager. It’s not like I’m worried Hunter will sense how I’m feeling. I don’t even know how I feel about anything half the time. I settle back in the dirt and let my eyes scan the gorgeous view. The lake is small, but clear and calm, surrounded on all sides by dense woods.

  Jax settles down beside me and nudges my shoulder with his. “So, elusive wolf-girl, is your name really Janie?”

  I scoff and can’t help but smile a little. He’s too good at breaking my walls down. “No, it’s not. I don’t care for my birth name, though. Janie is good enough.”

  “Janie suits you anyway. Might as well stick with it.” He smiles again, his bright white teeth shining. “Why have you been hiding away and not working at the diner?”

  I shrug. “I needed space to think. I feel bad ditching Darby, though.”

  “I think she misses your help. I was recruited to take your place, and I am not a good waiter. More trouble than I’m worth.” He pauses, and I turn to see a dreamy look on his face. “It has been fun getting to know Darby, though. Hunter is so protective of her that she doesn’t get out much.”

  “You like her?” I ask, suddenly into gossip for the first time in my life.

  Jax laughs, but his eyes don’t meet mine. “She’s the alpha’s sister.”

  “And?” I ask, shaking my head.

  “I like making friends. Darby and I are friends.” He lays a warm hand on mine against the soft grass. “Just like we’re friends now, too. Right?”

  I turn to him with a smile, feeling for the first time ever that I might actually have a friend. “I’m not sure I know how to be a friend to anyone anymore, Jax.”

  He squeezes my hand in his and it feels nice. “Well, there’s only one way to find out. Be my friend.”

  I giggle and shove my shoulder into his. “You got it. Can’t hurt to try, right?”

  A low growl rumbles behind us, and I jump away from Jax. We both turn to find Hunter with dark, narrowed eyes that make me understand for the first time why he is the alpha. His hands are clenched in fists at his sides and he looks quickly between Jax and I before taking a deep breath and relaxing his shoulders.

  “Darby is looking for you, Janie. Time to go back to the house.” His voice is demanding as he stares me down.

  I pull my chin back. “I’ll go back when I’m ready. I like it out here.”

  Hunter turns to Jax, who freezes and dips his head a little in a submissive way. He doesn’t say anything, but Jax mutters something under his breath before stumbling back through the trees.

  I spin on Hunter with my blood about ready to boil. “What did you just do to him?”

  He shrugs. “Nothing. I guess he was just ready to go home.”

  I step forward, squaring my shoulders and I glare right into his dark eyes. “I like spending time with Jax. He is actually nice to me. I don’t know what your problem is, but you can’t just bend people to your will. I don’t care that you’re the alpha. You’re not a god.”

  Hunter looks like he wants to say something back, but I push past him and run back to the house, not caring what he has to say anymore.

  CHAPTER 4

  Hunter

  I can’t stand myself sometimes. Jax was a good help in the meeting yesterday, but I didn’t know it was just because he wanted some one-on-one time with Janie himself. While I was busy arguing with Cyan about the history in the book, and why I wouldn’t discredit the Seer who foretold Janie coming to us, I heard Janie and Jax leave the house together. It sent my body on high alert and I couldn’t get away fast enough.

  Of course, I let my anger control me after finding them holding hands by the lake like that. I thought I would be above using my pull as alpha to dissuade someone away from a girl that I’m interested in, but I wasn’t above it at all. I didn’t know whether to laugh at myself afterward, or be ashamed. At the moment, it’s pure shame.

  Janie knew exactly what I did with Jax, and I hated the way she looked at me like I was a villain. I could tell she was actually happy by that lake, for the first time since meeting her, but why was I so upset that I wasn’t the one to bring that out? Needless to say, I’ve avoided both of them since.

  Darby and Janie went to work together this morning, so after dropping them off, it gave me time to send my own scouts towards Becker’s compound to get a feel for what they’re up to. Having the air affinity, not only do we catch smells before others, but some of us can hear conversations on the wind better than most wolves.

  I need to find some answers, not only to placate the pack, but to help Janie. I know she doesn’t want to be here, but if she left, I just know my wolf would lose it. She draws my wolf to her, and I seem to be struggling to fight that pull.

  I haven’t been able to get my mind to stop venturing to the girls being at the diner without me. What if something happens and I’m not there? I take a breath. Nothing is going to happen. I can’t seem to stop thinking about Janie’s safety, obsessively even.

  After making my rounds around the compound, I tried reading Darby’s book with the prophecy about a mixed wolf. The more I read it, the more confused I got. We need more information.

  Rolling down the window on my truck, I let the cool air wash over me as I head to the diner. I’m far too early, but I don’t care. I keep warring between feeling like I need to protect Janie and wondering why the hell she ended up here. The smell of the forest is calming to me, but my heart is still picking up at the thought of being near her again. I want to blame it on my wolf, but I don’t think that’s it.

  I step into the diner just as the sun has set, and the last of the customers are hanging around, enjoying a late dinner, or taking the last few slices of Earl’s famous pecan pie.

  Janie’s laughter floats on the air to me, and my stomach clenches from the sound. She’s smiling at an older couple from my pack who are sitting along the far wall. They’re telling her that she’s doing a great job at the diner and they like having her here. It warms my heart to hear those words, and I can tell Janie is glad for the support, until she turns and spots me.

  Her smile falls and she rolls her eyes before hurrying off to the kitchen. Darby waves at me from behind the counter and tilts her head back towards the kitchen. She’s telling me to follow Janie, and it’s ridiculous how well my little sister knows me.

  I move through the swinging door and Janie has her eyes closed with her head laid back against a wall. Earl is nowhere in sight, so I move toward Janie and stop just in front of her. I hate that she’s upset with me for yesterday, and I want to show her that I can be more than an alpha-ass.

  “What do you want?” Janie asks, her big blue eyes opening to look up at me.

  What do I want? “I…uh, want to apologize. For the way I acted by the lake. I shouldn’t be telling you what to do. It’s not my place.”

  She searches my eyes for a moment and she bites down on her lower lip. I can’t tell if it happens in slow motion or if my mind is making me see it that way, but I have to blink rapidly to move past it.

  “Thanks, Hunter. I’m sorry I stormed off.”

  Hell, I’m screwed. How is this the first time she has ever said my name, and why do I like it so damn much?

  I clear my throat. “The diner is closed tomorrow for Memorial Day. Do you want to go for a run with me in the morning?”

  She nods and bites her lip again. “Sure. Sounds like fun.”

  Before I even realize what I’m doing, I reach out and stroke my thumb along Janie’s cheek. Her skin is so soft, and when her breath hitches, I’m lost.

  All I want is to move closer, to press her against that wall, to soothe that lip that she feels the need to torture with her teeth. Her scent is all over me, like I’m drowning in wildflowers and warmth. But other smells register in my mind, including one that seems to be stronger than the rest.

  Jax.

  I drop my hand from her face. “Was Jax here with you today?”

  Janie’s eyebrows shoot up. “Yeah, for a minute to help Earl in the kitchen. Why?”

  “He just can’t stay away from you, can he?” I say it so low that it’s just under my breath, but I immediately regret it when Janie looks at me with that same frustration as yesterday.

  She scoffs and moves around me. “Seriously?” She runs fingers through her short curls. “Jax is my friend, not that it’s any of your business. At least he’s nice to me, and he isn’t…”

  She doesn’t finish the sentence, but she doesn’t need to. At least he knows how to make her smile, and not be such a tool eighty-seven percent of the time. At least he isn’t like me.

  CHAPTER 5

  Janie

  I look at myself in the wall mirror, considering just climbing back into bed and forgetting the world for just one day. I don’t know when Darby had the time to buy me an entire new wardrobe of clothes, but when we got back from the diner last night, my bed was piled high with bags from Target and a note that said, “New clothes for a new beginning”.

  I wiggle around in my new designer jeans that fit like a glove, and the cropped black blouse that feels like silk. I look…good. I can’t remember the last time I looked this put-together. It’s a nice feeling. I take a steadying breath and make my way toward the kitchen where the smell of bacon and eggs fills the air.

  Darby gasps from behind the island counter. “Good morning, Janie! You look so cute!”

  I try to return her smile and shrug. “Thanks. These clothes fit perfectly, but you need to tell me how much it all cost. I can pay you back, or work for free–”

  Darby cuts me off. “I didn’t get you those things, so don’t thank me or repay me.”

  My eyebrows scrunch together as I look down at my new outfit, complete with black and white Converse that are my exact size. “Who got them, then?”

  Darby grins and raises an eyebrow at me. She points behind me, and I spin around to find Hunter leaning against the wall with his large arms crossed like he doesn’t have a care in the world. It’s incredibly sexy, until I remember that I’m mad at his alpha ass.

  “You went shopping for me?” I ask him, thinking about the brand-new bras and panties that are sitting in the dresser by my bed. Oh, Lord.

  Hunter shrugs, not moving from his spot. “I didn’t go anywhere, but I asked Shirley to get you some things.” His dark eyes scan my body from top to bottom, and the room is suddenly too hot. “Shirley has good taste,” he says, his eyes finding mine.

  “Oh,” I say, my palms sweating. “Well, please thank her for me. And I need to pay you back, Hunter.”

  He shakes his head, and I don’t miss the very small smile at the corner of his lips. “No, you don’t. We’re all better off not having to smell you in the same old pair of jeans every day.”

  And, just like that, my temper flares all over again. “Hunter! And to think I was actually going to go running with you this morning.”

  I turn away from him and snag a handful of bacon, ready to stomp back to my room, when Hunter grabs my elbow gently. “Hey, I’m kidding. I was trying to make a joke. I do know how to express joy from time to time, you know?”

  I look up at him with raised eyebrows and it’s so hard to be mad at him when he smiles. He needs to do that more. “I never would have guessed you could smile, Alpha Hunter. One run, and then I’m done.”

  He nods. “Good.” He bends down to pick up two empty backpacks and hands one to me. “This way we don’t rip your new clothes to shreds. We can carry our clothes to where we’re going.”

  “Wait, we’re going to shift?” My heart launches into my throat.

  “Of course. It’s a long run, and it will be a lot more fun on four legs.”

  I take a deep breath and look back at Darby who gives me an encouraging smile. I can do this. And Hunter will be beside me the whole time. No problem.

  Running beside Hunter feels…incredible. I’m carrying the backpack with my clothes in my teeth, and Hunter is doing the same with his own. It’s nice to know that I won’t have to be naked after the shift when we get to where we’re going. I know I’ve seen Hunter in his birthday suit, but I’m not about to return the favor.

  The warm wind through my fur is like nothing I’ve ever felt before. I have never had the chance to enjoy my wolf like this, and I can’t believe what I’ve been missing.

  Hunter’s large gray wolf keeps looking back at me as he runs, making sure that I’m keeping up. He’s fast, but I’m not struggling to keep pace with him at all. My wolf is drawn to him, like she wants nothing more than to roll through the trees with him. I don’t know how I feel about that.

  Mine. She whispers to me.

  I shake our large head. No. He’s not ours.

  My wolf whines, but she doesn’t speak anymore. I focus on the wolf ahead of us and my heart leaps when we stop at the edge of a cliff. The view is like nothing I have ever seen before, and I can’t believe it’s even real. The long forest ahead of us stretches for miles, with rivers snaking through it. Birds of all kinds fly from the treetops and spin in the air below us.

  My heart races with excitement inside my wolf chest. The sun on my body is so warm that I close my eyes and bask in it for a long moment. I can feel Hunter trying to press into my mind, and I let him, wanting to thank him for bringing me to this place.

  “Janie!”

  My eyes fly open at his frantic voice. His gray wolf is wide-eyed staring at my body, and I follow its gaze. I scream inside my mind as I realize that my fur is no longer white and red, but it’s lit with flames.

  What the hell? What’s happening?

  I jump around, trying to escape the fire, but Hunter’s voice is insistent in my head. “Don’t move! The fire isn’t hurting you, but it will hurt the trees.”

  I look back at the forest and realize that he’s right. I’m warm, but I’m not burning. If I went running like a wild-woman, I could start a real forest fire.

  “Breathe, Janie. Just try to be calm.”

  I obey Hunter, making my eyes close again as I settle my pounding heart. Amazingly, my wolf isn’t freaking out at all. She doesn’t care that our body is lit with fire. She’s only wanting to move closer to Hunter. Priorities, girl!

  “That’s good. You’re doing it.”

  I open my eyes slowly and look down at my fur. It’s back to the white and red that I know it to be, and I want to collapse from relief. What just happened to me? I look toward Hunter’s dark eyes and it’s clear that he has no idea either. Somehow, though, I just burst into flame…and that is not okay.

  CHAPTER 6

  Hunter

  I let Janie’s wolf take the lead this time as we run back to the house. I’m not about to take my eyes off of her just in case she suddenly lights on fire again. It has to be because of her red fur. Fire wolves are known to be able to wield fire as they wish, and Janie is clearly one of them.

  We break through the tree line and Janie drops her backpack before shifting. I can tell she’s in a hurry to find out what just happened out there. I only wanted to take her to my favorite spot and see what she thought of the view, but that’s the least of my worries now.

  Janie’s body comes into view, her soft skin replacing the thick fur of her wolf. I almost forget to turn away as I stare at the curve of her hips, but I snap myself out of it and spin my wolf around before I see too much. I’m definitely not going to get the image of what I did see out of my head anytime soon, though.

  I step back into the trees and take my time to shift, giving Janie her privacy as I pull on my dark jeans and t-shirt.

  “I’m dressed,” she says.

  I walk back to her and she looks shy for the first time since meeting her. Her cheeks are pink and she twirls her fingers together in front of her. I can’t stop myself before I grab her hands in mine and rub my thumbs along her warm palms.

  “So, you’re a fire wolf?” I ask, already knowing the answer.

  She shrugs, her big blue eyes locking onto mine. “Apparently I am…at least partly. I don’t know how I did that back there, though. What if it happens again? What if I burn your house down?” I smile down at her, and she pauses her rambling questions. “Why on earth are you smiling, Hunter? This is funny to you?” She pulls her hands out of mine and plops them onto her hips as she glares.

  Great, she’s mad at me again.

  I shake my head. “I’m sorry. It’s not funny, but you developed this new and incredible gift, and all you can do is stress about it. Don’t you think it’s cool that you can control fire?”

  She shakes her head and sighs. “If I could actually control it, then yeah, that would be cool. I have no idea how to even begin to do that, though.”