She was trying really hard to make me not afraid, but words couldn’t touch what my eyes were seeing. The wolves lowered their heads and kept their gazes on me as I stumbled back.

  “I can’t do this, Embry,” I whispered once I was pressed against her door.

  She grabbed my shoulders and shook me until I was forced to meet her stare. “You are Cait Mother Fuckin’ Jones. You can handle this. I don’t believe for one second that you’re not strong enough to accept what you’re going to see here. I will beat you if I have to, to show you what I know you’re capable of handling.”

  Her words had already done the beating she threatened on about. I glanced back at the wolves. The longer I looked at them, the more they looked like overgrown dogs than man-eating animals. One was light grey with a few black spots, the other dark brown, and the third was a light tan, almost white, with brown paws. Their tongues hung out of their mouths as they seemed to wait for us.

  “There you go. One thing at a time. You got this,” Embry added when I relaxed under her grasp.

  “Right. One thing at a time,” I repeated.

  “Now let’s go say hello to James, Brad, and Ginger.”

  She said their names as if it would make them any less wolfy to me.

  “If one of them bites me, I’m unfriending you,” I grumbled as she laughed and pulled me along.

  “That might have held more of a threat before you arrived here, but now that I’ve got you, I’m never letting you leave me,” Embry said with a smile.

  Her words packed an emotional punch that went straight to the center of my heart.

  So much love for her.

  Regardless, something told me that by the end of the day, a part of me was going to regret replying to her ridiculous comment all those years ago in that book group.

  5

  Cait

  Two of the three shifters had paused to say hello—likely more curious than friendly. Mostly, I’d been surprised when they changed to their human forms fully dressed.

  “Why weren’t they naked when they shifted? Is it some kind of magic?” I asked once we walked away from the others. I heard a snort from behind us and turned to see Brad and Ginger snickering, but far enough away that they shouldn’t have heard me.

  “Umm, not magic like you might think, but a little yes. As long as we remember to think about our clothes, they don’t get ruined in a shift. We also have excellent hearing.” She grimaced as I blushed. The others had heard me.

  “I thought that was a vampire thing,” I whispered even though the two wolves were no longer in sight. I was also fully aware that my only knowledge of the supernatural came from fictional books.

  “Well, them too. We have a lot of the same offensive traits as the blood suckers,” Embry replied dryly.

  “Do you not get along with them?” I asked.

  She shrugged. “Depends on the nest and the pack. Some of us do, some don’t. There is another territory in West Texas that is very old-school in their ways.”

  I read between the lines and was glad the few people I’d met at this pack weren’t assholes like I took the “old-school” comment to mean.

  Embry’s home wasn’t far from the pack house, and we didn’t pass any other wolves that I could tell through the surrounding trees. We traveled down a dirt path in silence as I took in the tranquility of their land.

  In all the travels I’d done the last few years since I’d lost my mother, there hadn’t been too many places that were quiet enough I could hear my soul, but this was another I could add to that list.

  At first, it was weird to think I could hear my soul, but after a few incidents, I was convinced that was what I sensed. The sound wasn’t made from words or hums, but something else I’d yet to identify. Something tangible I could feel and hear. It was hard to describe. I’d thought it was my mom’s spirit on a couple of occasions, but as I continued traveling and attempted to find myself, I knew it was all me.

  Embry and I arrived back at the pack house, and she took us around the rear side of the massive structure that stretched even further back than I realized when first arriving.

  “What is this?” I asked, pointing to fogged-up windows.

  “Ramona’s garden. Her pride and joy after Roman. Want to see inside? She keeps it in a greenhouse since the weather is so hot. That way, she can control things a bit more, or so she says.”

  I began to say yes, but my words were drowned out by the sound of exhaust.

  Embry sighed. “That would be Vaughn. He’s waiting on us, but I promise I’ll give you a proper tour by the end of the day.” She grabbed my hand, and I nearly tripped over my own feet after she jerked hard on my arm.

  The back side of the house had a matching porch to the front, except instead of red double doors, there were sliding glass doors spanning the bottom floor and large windows covering the top. Suddenly, I wanted to be inside the house more than anything else just so I could see the view from the second floor.

  We continued on after I was done gawking at the oversized home and my eyes landed on a cabin similar to Embry’s, just slightly bigger and with a small garage attached to it. Vaughn was sitting on his bike, leather jacket still on and a grin plastered to his face.

  “Lovely ladies.” He nodded at each of us before meeting my gaze. “How are you liking our home so far?”

  “Well, besides the angry welcome and seeing werewolves for the first time, I’d say it’s been more than I would have imagined if I’d known where I was coming,” I replied.

  Vaughn threw his head back and laughed before hopping off the bike. He threw an arm around me. “I like you.”

  Something snapped behind us, and when I tried to turn around, Vaughn’s hold tightened. “How about I help with the tour? It’s why I called Embry over here.”

  My brow pinched. I’d been with Embry since arriving. I hadn’t once heard him call her, and I didn’t even see her phone around.

  Embry looped her arm through mine, pulling me out of Vaughn’s hold, and tapped her mind. “Mind-speak. Something very few other supernaturals can do.”

  “You can hear each other’s thoughts?” I gaped.

  “Only when projected. We can’t listen to each other when not invited. Well, all of us except for Roman. Though, he only does that if there is no other choice,” Embry answered as Vaughn pulled his bike out of the way and revealed a UTV.

  “What does that mean? No other choice?” I asked.

  Embry hopped into the back of the off-road vehicle, and Vaughn pointed for me to sit in the front before speaking. “Our problems are like human problems. Sometimes alphas have to go to extreme measures for the greater good of the pack. Forcing their way into the wolves’ minds is rare, but sometimes necessary.

  “Roman might have been upset, but you have to remember, your existence was pretty much a fable before today. He had no idea what you were when the two of you crossed paths. He’s a good alpha. Don’t judge him based on your first impression.”

  “Or the second,” Embry added with a smirk.

  I nodded, unsure of how to respond. What did it matter what I thought of Roman? Sure, it sounded like Embry wanted me to stay, but I wasn’t one of them. I didn’t belong here. I doubted there would be too many more impressions I had to worry about with Roman.

  Vaughn started the UTV, took off down the dirt path behind his house, and passed by a bigger garage that was detached from the main house.

  “There are five main paths through the pack lands. If you get lost, find one of them and follow the sun back to the house. Don’t knock on random cabins. That might get you killed. The people here are nice, but they like their privacy.”

  “How many… people are there?” The word “people” was weird to use when I knew they weren’t human.

  “This particular pack has between one hundred and one-hundred-fifty shifters at any given time. Currently, we have one-hundred-thirty-seven of them registered. All of them have homes here that they’ve built themselves or inherited. We don’t force anyone to stay, but they can’t give their spot away, either. We are very selective about the wolves we let in,” Vaughn answered.

  Embry pointed above my left shoulder. “See? Cabins everywhere.”

  “Okay, so five paths where I might get lost if I can’t see the sun and cabins I shouldn’t go to. This tour is off to a great start,” I deadpanned.

  This was a horrible idea. I never should have left Embry’s house. I needed weeks to process all the new things I was learning, but neither of the two beside me seemed to care. They just kept spitting information out left and right.

  “Some of the paths intersect, like here. If we go left, it takes us to the river, right goes back toward the training field, then the pack house. Which should we take?” Embry asked.

  I let out a yawn. “Right. We can take left another day if that’s okay.”

  Embry’s hand clasped over my shoulder and her rose-gold hair whipped around my face when she leaned closer. “Right. Jetlag. You’re probably hungry, too. Let’s stop by and see Ramona.”

  Seeing Ramona meant going to the main house—the one I saw Roman go into, and I was too tired to deal with another run-in with him. The way he’d asked about me like I wasn’t standing right there after he’d gotten out of the car grated on my nerves even more as time passed.

  “I’m not very hungry. Sleep will be good for now,” I said as Vaughn growled loudly at someone passing us who looked a lot like him, beard and all.

  “My cousin Graeme. He loves me,” Vaughn said as his cousin flipped him off, then we continued on down the path.

  “That’s the training field.” Embry nudged me and pointed right.

  It was an open grass area with an obstacle course that included monster tires, ropes, and a tower with three sides and a bell at the top. Before I could check out the contraptions attached to it, Vaughn was jerking the UTV in the opposite direction.

  “That looked like… um…” I tried to find the right word without being rude.

  “Fun? A rush? Adventurous?” Embry said.

  “Uh, sure. All of that,” I grumbled, making her laugh.

  Vaughn glanced between the two of us. “Am I missing something?”

  “Cait here doesn’t like exercise.” Embry grinned widely.

  Vaughn’s brows raised. “Ah, that’s right. And you expect her to survive here?”

  Embry hugged me from behind as Vaughn pulled to a stop. “She’s going to thrive here. I know it. I’ve got that good intuition,” she said.

  “That you do, VP.” Vaughn laughed as Embry tugged me from my seat. “I’ve work to do here. See you pretties later,” he added as we walked back toward the pack house.

  “Why did he call you VP?” I asked.

  Embry blushed. “Well, I might have left another part of my job out.”

  “And what would that be?”

  She looped her arm through mine again, thankfully pulling me away from the house I had no desire to enter. “So, some wolves have special powers. It’s pretty rare, and most of the time subtle or useless, but I’m pretty proud of mine considering it landed me the position of VP of accounting. I have what I like to call luck with money. Vaughn thinks it’s intuition. Either way, I can take a thousand dollars and turn it into tens of thousands in the stock market. I run all of the pack finances.”

  “I should question that, but I’ve had enough weird for the day. Maybe tomorrow after I wake up, but one last question. Do you guys have normal jobs with… humans?” Damn that was weird to say out loud.

  “No, the pack owns a mill and a lot of us work there. I oversee the accounting department. You could work there, too. Or watch the pups if that’s still something that interests you.” She said the last bit with a smirk.

  Embry had tried to talk me out of taking the nanny gig. She’d been all for me traveling, but taking a real job, not so much. I should have listened to her.

  “I see. Well, maybe I’ll give you the remainder of my inheritance to use your luck on. I think it’s the least you can do after bringing me to a pack of wolves.”

  She pinched me hard, and I yelped. “First, I didn’t force you here. Second, you’re still speaking like you’re human.” Embry lifted my wrist. “News flash, my friend. You’re not.”

  “You’re an asshole,” I said.

  “But you love me.”

  That I did.

  We arrived back at her place, and Ramona was just walking out of Embry’s house. She waved, smiling brightly. She had short blonde-grey hair, umber eyes that shined under the filtering sunlight, and a warmth about her that made the lingering tension leave my body.

  “Hi, ladies. I thought our guest might be hungry. I put leftover lunch on the counter.” Ramona smiled at both of us.

  “Thank you. That was very kind of you,” I said first.

  “I’m sorry about your welcoming. That’s not normally how we treat guests. I want you to know that you’re welcome inside the main house at any time. My son will be on his best behavior,” Ramona said confidently.

  “Alpha Momma always gets what she wants. If she says Roman will be nice, then he will be,” Embry added, seeming to enjoy the situation a little too much.

  Ramona smiled and moved to walk past us, then grabbed my arm gently. “May I see it?”

  For a moment, I was confused, then lifted my wrist.

  She sucked in a breath, tickling her fingers over the mark. “So much power within you, dear. You’re going to be quite the treat around here if you choose to stay.”

  Ramona walked away, leaving my mind whirling more than ever before.

  “Em?” My hands were shaking as she led me inside.

  “You’ve been through hell already, Cait. You can handle whatever is coming next.”

  I laughed nervously. “You keep saying that.”

  “And I’ll do it as many times as it takes for you to believe it. Now come on. Ramona makes the best food. Let’s go see what she brought over.”

  Food and sleep. Then, it would be time for me to ask all the right questions. The afternoon had been more about observing the area and trying to convince myself I wasn’t dreaming. Tomorrow would be more about action, if I could get past the fact that the people that I needed to get answers from turned into oversized dogs.

  6

  Roman

  Ever since I saw that vixen on the beach, my senses had been completely thrown off. My smell, speed, and reactions—they’d all been acting erratically. I’d hoped when I got home things would get back to normal.

  Unfortunately, that didn’t happen.

  After speaking with my parents, I took off into the woods and to my cabin. It wasn’t as far from the pack house as I would have liked, but nobody bothered me there unless it was an emergency. I’d hoped to be by myself this week. Hoped to be in my wolf form, letting him distract me from things that shouldn’t bother me any longer.

  Yet, none of that was going to happen.

  Instead, I was going to be left stressing about the past and the future.

  You place blame where it doesn’t belong, Roman, my wolf said.

  If not with me, then with who?

  With the wolf who challenged you. He had no business coming to our pack to take what wasn’t his. We were too strong for him, and he knew it. This was not on us.

  I scoffed. That might be mostly true, but we could have let him live. We should have found a way. Instead, we’re stuck with this guilt.

  My wolf grumbled. No, you are, and you need to get over it.

  He was a bossy bastard.

  Only a couple months after my father passed his alpha powers to me, I was challenged for ownership of our pack by another wolf from the West territory.

  Alpha challenges weren’t common practice nowadays. If an alpha potential wolf had an issue with the leadership, they left. Some wolves followed and started a new pack elsewhere. Most stayed behind. It was easy and kept the peace between our kind.

  For too long, our ancestors were at war with each other. Families destroyed. Homes decimated. All of it pointless.

  Not that I didn’t enjoy being alpha, but I’d never have fought for the position if it wasn’t already meant for me.

  We are exactly where we belong, my wolf said confidently as I threw a rock into the river, watching it skip several times across the clear water.

  The area around us was quiet. Only the birds and small prey lingered around the area. While the past had been heavy on my mind with the anniversary of when I’d killed the young wolf the following day, I couldn’t shake the face of one human woman that I shouldn’t want or think about.

  Except, ever since fleeing the beach, I smelled her on me. I heard her snarky voice. Laughed at how she stood up to me, showing a bravery few ever could under my alpha power.

  All of that would have been heaven if only she wasn’t human.

  She’s not and you know it. You’re just too scared to admit it, my wolf added.

  Shut it.

  He laughed. Make me.

  The wolf knew I couldn’t. He’d been in my mind since the day I was born. My first friend and confidant, but that didn’t mean he didn’t annoy the hell out of me on occasion.

  We need her, he added somberly.

  I threw another rock, this time skipping the water all together and enjoying the thud as it landed in the bark of a tree.

  I didn’t want to need this woman. She couldn’t be my equal. The other wolves would never respect a human-born as my mate. Even if she wasn’t human any longer, she was still closer to that than wolf. I had been repeating these things in my head ever since I learned she wasn’t a witch, but every time I did, my resolve weakened instead of getting stronger.

  There wasn’t much we knew about the Moon Goddess. She’d stayed out of our business for centuries. The fact that she was dabbling in it now bothered me almost as much as having a human mate.

  Not human, my wolf kindly reminded me. Again.

  I snarled and ran a hand through my hair. Son of a bitch. Why did it have to be so damn complicated?