The fact that he’d used my real name surprised me more than anything else.

  “I’m aware,” I said dryly.

  He didn’t respond, but something told me there was more to what he’d seen.

  “Does Kel’s cryptic silence come as a package deal with her clairvoyance, or are you just that determined not to share anything that will help us?”

  He cut me a glance. But there wasn’t anger or irritation in his gaze. Only secrets. And pain.

  “You’ll know,” he said, rising. “Soon enough.”

  *.*.*

  Crickets sang as I climbed out of the truck into the darkness and made my way to the front door of the Close house. The magic had been twice as strong since I’d left Silas at camp. (He’d refused to return, opting instead to sleep under the stars in some lame-ass attempt to somehow prove he was still “just a shifter.”) I needed a distraction—and I needed someone to talk to who wouldn’t violate my promise to Silas about not telling anyone his secret.

  After downing the last of the herbs—I decided not to think about how I was going to talk Cherise into giving me more so soon or what I’d do if she refused—my eyes caught on Idrissa’s dirt bike propped near the garage. Light shone from the apartment overhead, and on a hunch, I changed direction and let myself inside. Music blared from the studio apartment at the top of the stairs. A girl band yelling about the patriarchy. Honestly, that could have been chosen by either twin, but my money was on Idrissa.

  At the top of the stairs, I knocked, but even to someone with wolf hearing, I knew the sound was lost to the music.

  After a moment, I pushed the door open and stepped into the small apartment full of Isaac’s artwork and Idrissa’s beer cans.

  My gaze swung over the space, and I opened my mouth to call out my friends name, but the words died on my lips as I spotted her.

  On the couch.

  Horizontal.

  Shirtless.

  Her body pressed against another.

  “Shit,” I said, which was apparently loud enough to be heard over the music. Shock hit me first, rooting me to the spot.

  Idrissa broke off from the very intense make-out session she was engaged in and craned her neck to look back at me.

  Our eyes met, and I winced at the death glare she shot me.

  My eyes flicked to the other person present.

  Adan Landry stared back at me, his arms around Idrissa and his face flushed with the heat of—whatever they were doing.

  “Shit,” I said again, more of a shriek this time.

  And with panic to go with it.

  The song ended, plunging everything into very awkward silence.

  For some reason, that unfroze me, and I whirled, heading back down the stairs with thunking footsteps.

  “Oh, no you don’t.” Idrissa caught me just as I flung myself outside again.

  She came around to block my path, bra-clad chest heaving with angry breaths.

  “I’m sorry,” I said. “I thought we could have a girls’ night. I didn’t mean to—”

  “You can’t tell anyone,” she said.

  “What?”

  “Promise me you won’t tell.” Her eyes narrowed as she waited for my answer. Adan appeared, stepping up beside her. She spared him a glance that packed no less of a punch than the one she gave me.

  “Why?” I asked, totally confused.

  Was she angry with me? Or with him?

  “I mean, what’s the big deal?” I added, looking back and forth between them.

  Adan stuck his hands into his pockets and rocked back on his heels. Something told me he didn’t care either way, but Idrissa definitely did. At my question, she huffed and looked away, gaze catching on the house behind me.

  “I just don’t want anyone to know,” she repeated.

  My brows rose. “So, hating each other… Is that part of the plan to keep this all a secret or…?”

  “I don’t hate her,” Adan said.

  Idrissa rolled her eyes.

  “Idrissa, I won’t tell,” I said. “I promise. But what’s the big deal? Is it because Adan’s Hawley? I don’t think—”

  “It’s not about that.”

  “Then what?”

  Her eyes shone with some worry I couldn’t interpret. All I knew was that Idrissa had been avoiding me and this was the reason why. I just couldn’t figure out what this was. A fling with a hot new shifter in town was hardly a thing to swear silence about.

  “Listen, I’m going to head out,” Adan said when the silence stretched.

  “No, stay. I can come back,” I began, but he waved me off.

  “I need to stop off and talk to Kai anyway. Run some ideas by him for a new patrol training program.” He pressed a quick kiss to Idrissa’s cheek and then headed for the main road.

  No car.

  It took me several seconds to realize he intended to shift and run.

  They really were keeping this under wraps.

  I turned back to Idrissa and found her glancing over at the house again.

  “Are you worried your parents will ground you for having a boyfriend?” I joked. “Because I’m pretty sure you’re old enough to date by now.”

  Idrissa bit her lip. “No. I just don’t want Isaac to know about this yet.”

  “Why would he care? Does he have a thing for Adan too?”

  “He better not,” she growled.

  I cocked my head, studying her. “You really like him?”

  She crossed her arms. “Is there something you needed?”

  “Don’t be a bitch. You’re the one who’s been avoiding me and sneaking around.”

  “Okay, you’re right. I’m sorry for avoiding you.” The huff she gave sent a whiff of her scent toward me that had me inhaling sharply.

  “Dris,” I said.

  “What?”

  “Why do you still smell like Adan even after he’s gone?”

  “Maybe because I rubbed against him like a Boy Scout trying to light two sticks on fire.”

  “No, your scents are combined,” I insisted. “Like…” My eyes widened. “Holy shit, you’re mated.”

  “Keep your voice down,” she hissed.

  She grabbed my wrist and pulled me back inside the garage.

  “Why are you so worried?” I began but then yelped as she started dragging me toward the stairs. I climbed faster to keep up with her until we were standing in the loft again. Now that I was paying attention, I could smell their mated scent everywhere.

  I stared at Idrissa, trying to keep the stupid smile off my face. “I can’t believe this. The curse really is broken! You’ve found your mate.”

  My relief was enough to distract me from the magic currently worming its way through all my defenses. This was the break we’d so badly needed. People were finding their mates—finally.

  “Ugh. Don’t remind me.” Idrissa flopped down to the couch, dropping her face into her hands.

  “What do you mean? Aren’t you happy?”

  “I would be if my wolf had chosen someone who wasn’t so utterly annoying.”

  “Annoying how?”

  “Ugh.” She got up, went to the fridge, and pulled out a couple of beers. She offered me one before apparently remembering I didn’t drink. “Shit,” she muttered and set it on the counter before opening the first one herself.

  When she caught me watching her expectantly, she rolled her eyes. “He’s always butting in with these proposals for how the security teams can run smoother and more efficiently,” she said. “His wolf is faster than mine, which has never happened before, and he’s always doing things for me.”

  “What things?”

  She took a drink and then made a face I suspected had nothing to do with the taste of the alcohol. “Nice things. Opening doors. Bringing me coffee. Telling me I’m pretty. It’s infuriating.”

  I lifted a brow and took a seat on the floor. No way was I sitting on that couch right now.

  Idrissa sank down beside me, still clearly pissed.

  I snorted. “Yeah, being thoughtful is such an annoying quality in a person.” She scowled. “Is that all?”

  Her expression turned almost pouty. “He’s ridiculously punctual.”

  I stared at her, waiting for her to hear herself, but she glared back at me.

  “See?” she demanded. “The universe obviously hates me to give me Adan Landry as a mate.”

  “Oh, obviously.” I couldn’t hold back the smile this time.

  “Stop smiling like you enjoy my pain.”

  “What pain?” She shot me a glare. “Dris, Adan is hot, smart, strong, and a badass. And he clearly cares about you. I can’t feel sorry for your ‘pain’ as you call it because there’s zero pain in this scenario. Except for watching you whine and bitch about getting mated to a great guy.”

  She stared at me, dead serious. “I always knew you were a sadist. But this is over the top.”

  “I’m so glad you’re not being dramatic about this.”

  Idrissa’s mouth pinched, and I braced myself for whatever tirade she was about to throw at me. Before she could start on round two of “woe is me, mated to the hottie,” footsteps sounded on the stairs, silencing us both.

  “Hello?” Isaac called. “Is my long-lost sister up here, or has she deserted us for good?”

  Idrissa grabbed my shirt, bunching it in her hands as she hissed, “Don’t say a fucking word.”

  “Fine,” I whispered.

  She let me go and pasted on her trademark sardonic smile just as Isaac appeared in the open doorway. His hands were full of takeout bags and milkshakes.

  His eyes widened then immediately narrowed when he spotted us together. “Bitches!” He gasped. “You two have been avoiding me for weeks, and now I find you together up here in some sort of secret BFF lovers tryst and I wasn’t invited? I guess I’ll just take my calorie-laden cups of sugary joy and go.”

  “Isaac, wait.”

  I jumped up and blocked his exit. “Don’t go. This isn’t what it looks like.”

  “You mean you’re not secretly sexting behind my back and then meeting here to consummate your monogamous best friendship?”

  “Lord,” Idrissa muttered.

  “I just got here and saw the light on. I was planning on coming to find you next because I miss you both, and I think we need a sleepover,” I told him.

  He eyed me, clearly unconvinced.

  “Are those… French fries?” I asked, going with the most innocently sweet tone I could muster.

  Isaac sniffed. “Maybe.”

  “I read on Buzzfeed that not sharing your fries with your sister can lead to swift death,” Idrissa deadpanned.

  I kept my gaze on Isaac. “See? Nothing’s changed. Dris is still a bitch.”

  His stare turned pointed.

  “Okay. Fine.” My shoulders sagged. “You’re right. We’re both bitches.”

  He sniffed. “Apology accepted.” He stepped around me and kicked the door shut. “Now, sit and tell me all your problems while we all drown ourselves in chocolate malt.”

  Over burgers, fries, and the best milkshake I’d ever tasted, I recounted the highlights of the last two weeks’ worth of alpha meetings and pack business. Each of them already knew some of it, but neither one knew the whole story about Kai’s mood swings. Or how unstable my magic really was. And maybe I wouldn’t have told them if not for the relief and happiness I felt at spending an evening with my two best friends that didn’t involve fighting for our lives or someone else’s.

  It was the best night I’d had in a month.

  Even if my body felt full of crazy juice (magic) and Silas was a witch and I couldn’t talk about it after all.

  “And what about you?” Isaac asked Idrissa. “What’s your excuse for avoiding all of us for the last two weeks?”

  I did my best to keep the truth off my face, but how did he not smell it in the air?

  Idrissa just shrugged. “Being beta and security leader is time-consuming. If you don’t like it, talk to the boss here.” She hooked her thumb at me. I should have known she’d throw me under the bus in order to preserve her lie.

  But Isaac wasn’t buying it. “I have two jobs as well, so I call bullshit.”

  “Do you?” Idrissa’s eyes narrowed. “Because it goes both ways. We haven’t seen much of you either.”

  Isaac’s face flushed, and I realized Idrissa was on to something.

  “Wait, what’s your excuse?” I asked, watching Isaac’s cheeks turn red.

  “Nothing,” he said.

  “Uh-uh. Busted,” I said, pointing a fry at him accusingly.

  “Look, there’s a situation,” he began.

  “What kind of situation?” Idrissa pressed.

  “A complicated kind.” Isaac twisted his napkin, and I watched, intrigued, as the two siblings faced off in terse silence. “Fine,” Isaac said, finally giving in to Idrissa’s death stare. “There’s a person who shall not be named that is…of interest to my wolf.”

  My eyes flew wide. “Your mate?”

  He grimaced. “I do not appreciate the use of confining labels.”

  “Uh, okay, what does that mean?” Idrissa asked.

  “It means, no matter how much you torture, threaten, or maim, I will not be sharing details until the other party involved is good and ready.”

  “Fair enough,” I said, elbowing Idrissa to silence whatever pushback she planned on spewing. Hypocrite. Giving her a pointed look to shut up, I turned to Isaac. “Your personal relationships are your business. We just want you to be happy.”

  “What if said relationship makes you unhappy?” Idrissa asked.

  I elbowed her again. “Then you’re an idiot.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  The morning after my sleepover with Isaac and Idrissa, I woke to find the veins on my arms and legs had turned a deep crimson-black color. It looked like a macabre spider web had been painted on while I slept.

  Even Isaac couldn’t muster an encouraging word.

  “Don’t say anything,” I pleaded with them quietly.

  They nodded soberly.

  “Not even to Kai,” I added.

  They both gave me a reproachful look, but in the end, they agreed. Neither one asked me what it meant. We all knew it wasn’t good.

  “I’m going to send out another team,” Idrissa said. “See if there are any hexerei we haven’t asked for help yet.”

  I didn’t argue.

  We both knew chances of that were slim. But I knew what it felt like to sit helplessly by while chaos happened around me.

  In weighted silence, we packed up and hastily left for the day’s work. Idrissa to run security detail, Isaac to oversee the party prep, and me—to hopefully set into motion anything the pack would need when I was gone.

  I made it halfway home before pulling over. Climbing out on the roadside, I bent over and vomited… black liquid smoked that coated the grass, killing everything around it instantly.

  Inside me, the magic roiled, threatening to overtake even my human organs as it ate away at me while I spewed the leftovers at my feet.

  Finally, when it was over, I climbed tiredly back into the truck. Easing onto the road again, I knew better than to believe it would be easy to simply trigger my wolf and let her balance out the power that wrestled for control.

  She was strong, but she wasn’t that strong.

  Even if she couldn’t admit it.

  My phone dinged with a text. At the next stop sign, I glanced at it and saw a message from Kai. He’d spent the entire night hunting and actually felt good today. Stable.

  That made one of us.

  And then the realization that he might be better off without me hit me harder than any of the magic’s worst tricks ever could.

  A tear slipped down my cheek.

  Then another.

  As I drove, I decided. When the full moon came and I’d done everything I could to prepare them all for a future alone, I’d run. It was the only way to keep them all safe.

  I’d spent my whole life running before finally arriving here in Ridley Falls. Running was what I knew best. Or it used to be. But this kind of running wouldn’t be to save myself. Or to keep from letting anyone get too close. It would be to save them.

  This time, if I ran, it would be because staying would destroy everything and everyone I cared about. It would be because if I stayed, I’d be the one to destroy them instead.

  That was not a risk I was willing to take. Maybe that’s what being alpha really meant in the end anyway.

  Leaving Kai would be the hardest.

  I hated to think what his wolf might become without me to tether to. Hopefully, he could find a way to tether himself to the pack. And maybe, just maybe, that could be enough.

  At home, I raced past Oscar before he could get a look at me. Upstairs, I grabbed a long-sleeved shirt that would cover the damage. I couldn’t bring myself to tell the others what I already knew: the magic had rooted in me. There was no coming back from this now.

  Downstairs, I found Vinny waiting for me.

  “Why are you dressed like that?” he asked.

  “I was cold,” I said testily enough that he let it go. “Ready?”

  He shrugged, and we headed for Kai’s house—aka the office.

  Kai met me at the front door with a quick kiss and a questioning look at my wardrobe choices.

  “I was cold,” I said for a second time.

  At my words, a few snowflakes appeared, wisping down over our heads.

  He leaned in close, swiping the wet flakes off my cheeks as he whispered, “I’m happy to warm you up.”

  “Gross,” Vinny muttered.

  Kai grinned, and I pulled away, antsy to get to work.

  I didn’t have much time.

  I could feel it.

  We spent the day checking in on all the things we’d set in motion.

  The party plans came together like I knew they would with Isaac at the helm. Idrissa continued to avoid me, but now that I knew why, I saw evidence of Adan’s interest. No, devotion.

  It couldn’t be anything else; not with the way he let her curt replies and feigned disinterest roll off his back so easily. Something about the way he watched her when she wasn’t looking made me wonder if he didn’t like the chase of it all.