“Mmoatia,” Jasmine interjected.

  “What?” her grandmother replied.

  “They are Mmoatia,” Jasmine explained.

  Her grandmother continued undeterred. “Whatever they are, the point is that they’re not safe there. You need to move them. You need to deal with this.”

  Jasmine put her head in her hands. Ivan’s gaze slipped to her, and she wondered if he could hear her grandmother on the line.

  She thought of how happy the creatures had been when she’d set them free, how quickly they had gone into the trees and the smiles on their faces before they disappeared into the darkness.

  “What do I need to do?” Jasmine couldn’t keep a note of exasperation from creeping into her voice.

  “The Ghost Throats are coming to you,” her grandmother revealed.

  Jasmine’s skin prickled. “I’m sorry, what?” The idea of these Weres walking into the Nest made her extremely uncomfortable. This was her safe space, where she could hide and be herself.

  She looked at Ivan, who was clearing tiny droplets of condensation from the bar top. She wondered what it would be like for a rowdy bunch of Weres to walk through the door in the middle of the day, kicking up a fuss when patrons filled the place.

  “They’re on their way.” Her grandmother cut through Jasmine’s reverie. “They’ll have all the details for you, and they’ll be able to help you with your problem.”

  Before Jasmine could argue, the line went dead. It wouldn’t be the first time her grandmother had been short with her before hanging up, and she only hoped their efforts to repair the broken pieces of their relationship hadn’t all gone down the drain because of one rash decision.

  “Problem?” Ivan asked.

  Jasmine got the sense he already knew. Of course, he did. Ivan seemed so tuned in to other people’s emotions that he knew everything.

  Jasmine looked down at her phone. “No problem. It’s just…” She met Ivan’s gaze. “You best get the Nest ready to receive visitors.”

  Her grandmother had given no indication of when the pack would arrive. She had only said they were on their way. Jasmine scurried in an anxious fervor as she moved about her bedroom, struggling to choose between her clothing items.

  She had planned to wear a bright red low-cut dress that showed off her curves. However, knowing the pack’s style and attitudes, she already understood that would be a bad idea. She needed to blend in more, to dress the part of a lowly wolf in the hierarchy so she could gain their trust.

  She selected a plain black shirt, a leather jacket, and a pair of jeans. They fit her frame tightly, but she didn’t look half as glamorous as she’d planned.

  When she returned to the bar, the daily traffic was filing in. Patrons sat at their customary tables. There was a gentle chatter in the air. Ivan was already busy attending to their needs.

  Instead of her usual seat by the door, Jasmine sat at the bar. There was a drink waiting for her.

  Two seats down, a man with long, greasy black hair hunched over a pint of lager and turned to watch her as she took her seat. She looked down at herself, then back at the man. “If you’re going to stare all day, you’ll have to pay a subscription fee. Either hand over the cash or get back to staring at your drink.”

  The man offered a weak smile and turned back to his lager.

  She waited nervously at the bar, counting the minutes until the bell tinkled over the door and the pack arrived.

  She recognized them straight away, although she had seen half of them only in their wolf forms. They wore a uniform of sorts. Each of them looked ready for a day of work in the fields. They looked corn-fed, dressed for a day in the hot summer sun.

  Kendrick wore a denim jacket with jeans and a white T-shirt that was stained and in need of a good wash. Delilah wore jeans and a shirt with pearl snaps. Her cowboy boots clopped against the hard flooring. A thick braid trailed down her back.

  They were looking for Jasmine, although their noses worked harder than their eyes as they scented the air. To Jasmine’s surprise, her grandmother led the pack.

  Jasmine held up her hand and waved them over. Her grandmother looked around the bar before choosing the table farthest from prying ears. The older woman pulled out her chair and sat. Jasmine took that as her cue to join her.

  Delilah and Kendrick sat on either side of her grandmother. The remaining Ghost Throats took their places in the vacant seats.

  “It seems we have a problem,” her grandmother stated, as though she hadn’t already told Jasmine this.

  “I’m sorry—” Jasmine tried to say, but her grandmother spoke over her.

  “The pack’s territory is sacred, symbolic,” she repeated and dove into the same spiel she had given Jasmine on the phone.

  Jasmine sat patiently and nodded in all the right places as the eyes of the pack stayed glued on her.

  “We need to remedy this,” her grandmother announced and turned to Delilah. Delilah’s gaze was intense, and it was difficult to read what she was thinking.

  Her grandmother motioned with her hand. “Delilah has agreed to accompany you as penance for her insubordination the other day. The pair of you will remove the pests and shift them to greener pastures. You will do this today. Understood?”

  A jolt of ice ran through Jasmine’s body. Just her and Delilah. The last thing she needed was to be out in the wild alone with the woman who had tried to kill her a few days earlier. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?” she asked.

  Her grandmother cocked an eyebrow. “Non-negotiable.”

  Ordinarily Jasmine might have argued, but she sensed that wasn’t an option now. “Fine.”

  Her grandmother turned to Delilah. “And you?”

  “Fine,” Delilah repeated.

  The Ghost Throats left soon after that, led by Jasmine’s grandmother. Delilah had stayed behind and sat across the table from Jasmine.

  “This is going to be fun,” Jasmine muttered when the silence became unbearable.

  Delilah nodded with a sour expression. “You’re not wrong there.”

  “How are we going to do this?”

  “How did you get them there?” Delilah shot back.

  “A forklift, a flatbed, and a crate,” Jasmine replied. “That’s not really an option now.”

  Delilah frowned while she considered this. She drew a deep breath, rose to her feet, and headed toward the front door.

  Jasmine called, “Where are you going?”

  Delilah shrugged. “The sooner we deal with this problem, the sooner we can part ways.”

  Jasmine nodded. “I’m all for that.”

  With a longing glance back at Ivan and the patrons, Jasmine followed Delilah to the front door. It was a bright day, and the sun sparkled steadily down on the city. The air was warm, and birdsong filtered down from the sparse trees lining the paved streets as they walked down the sidewalk to a nearby van.

  “This is yours?” Jasmine asked.

  The van was white, decorated in an array of brightly colored vinyl flowers. The vehicle’s femininity was a stark contrast to what she’d expect from Delilah.

  Delilah didn’t meet Jasmine’s gaze as she specified, “It’s for work.”

  “You guys have jobs?” Jasmine asked.

  Delilah stopped and looked over her shoulder at Jasmine. Her hand rested on the key in the door lock. “Of course. You think we only run around in the wild like a pack of mad dogs?”

  They looked at each other for a moment.

  “You do, don’t you?” Delilah asked with disbelief.

  Jasmine shrugged. “Newbie here. Remember? I don’t know much about you guys. My mother made sure of that.”

  At the mention of Jasmine’s mother, Delilah bristled. “There’s a lot you don’t know about her.”

  Jasmine sensed something more behind those words. She narrowed her eyes as Delilah climbed into the driver’s seat. She thought about asking for more information but thought better of it. Their relationship was strained as it was. Jasmine went around to the passenger side and got in. “What do you do for a living?”

  “I’m a field botanist for the Conservation Department,” Delilah answered.

  Jasmine waited for her to continue, but she didn’t. “Sounds exciting.”

  “It’s a living.” Delilah didn’t elaborate as she pulled onto the road.

  For a long while they rode in silence. The cab was thick with a pregnant tension. Jasmine couldn’t understand the change in circumstances, how one minute Delilah had been all teeth and fur and intent on killing, and now that same woman was driving along the road as if nothing had happened.

  They turned right and made their way toward the national park. The route was already becoming familiar to Jasmine.

  “What do you do?” Delilah asked without taking her eyes off the road.

  “I’m a…” Jasmine paused, her words trailing away. She was about to say she was an investigative journalist, the tiny detail of her life so natural that for a moment she almost forgot what she truly was.

  “You’ve forgotten?” Delilah pressed. She gave a weak chuckle. “Your grandmother said something about you working at that Nest place. Does that help jog the memory bank?”

  As they sat at a stop light, Jasmine looked out the window and watched as a man in his forties walked with his wife hooked on his arm. A child ran a few feet ahead. There had been times in her life when she wished it could all be simpler. She wished she could take it all back and live a life like a normal human. But no matter how hard she tried, she had never been dealt the simplicity card by the gods.

  “I’m a bouncer. A door guard. I look after the place and ensure the riffraff doesn’t get too rowdy. Otherwise, I drag their asses to the street and make sure they never come back again.”

  Delilah nodded. “I can see that.” A slight hint of admiration sparkled behind her eyes before shifting back to her stoic neutrality.

  As they journeyed, the pair shared trivial small talk. Delilah didn’t say much about the pack, nor was there any more mention of Jasmine’s mother, and Jasmine supposed she was thankful for that. She was looking forward to getting this job done so she could get back to the Nest and be comfortable for the rest of the day.

  “You really caused a ruckus with these creatures,” Delilah declared. “What the hell are they?”

  “Mmoatia,” Jasmine answered.

  “Never heard of that before.” Delilah turned up her lip. “You sure they’re not taking you for a fool?”

  Jasmine shook her head. “I don’t think so. If anything, they’re incredibly grateful for the space they’ve been given.”

  Delilah laughed and shook her head. “Boy, you really are clueless, aren’t you?”

  Jasmine narrowed her eyes at the surrounding trees. You don’t know the half of it.

  Trees closed in around them as they cruised through the national park. Jasmine directed Delilah the way she had come the night before, although it was hard to tell for sure, given how different the place looked in the daylight.

  They drove for fifteen minutes before they came across what they were looking for. The Mmoatia had made no effort to hide their presence in the woods. Enormous nests the size of cars loomed above the van. Delilah stopped and cut the engine. The place filled with silence.

  Jasmine got out and looked up at the canopy. I wonder if they’re nocturnal, she thought. It would make things easier. It’s pretty quiet around here.

  Delilah joined her, staring up at the nests. “How do you get them down?”

  “That depends on if they’re up there.” Jasmine shrugged.

  She cupped her hands and called out to the Mmoatia.

  A head popped up almost instantly at the side of the nest. The strange goblin-like creatures were even odder in the daylight.

  When the creature saw it was Jasmine, it rubbed its sleepy eyes before it leaped from the nest. It expanded its arms to either side, and a thin membrane stretched to slow its descent. It glided down in front of her.

  “Jasmine!” the creature croaked as it hugged her waist. Jasmine kept her hands up, unsure if she wanted to touch the skin of these creatures. Delilah looked at them both uncertainly.

  “Thank you again for all you did last night,” the Mmoatia told Jasmine. “To what do we owe this pleasure so soon?”

  As it finished speaking another Mmoatia dropped down to the ground, followed by several more. They stalked closer with something like smiles on their faces. With their strange appearance, it was difficult to tell.

  Jasmine spread her arms wide in welcome. “It’s a bit of a funny story…” She went on to explain the situation. “It seems I was mistaken in letting you guys adopt this part of the woods. The pack I mentioned—”

  “They have a strange smell,” the lead Mmoatia interjected, its gaze snapping toward Delilah.

  The Were bristled.

  Jasmine felt Delilah tense beside her. “Yes, well, smell or not, you’ll have to find alternative arrangements for your accommodation. You can’t stay here.” She faltered as the expressions on the creatures’ faces morphed from pleasure to annoyance. “There’s plenty of woods off to the west. If you follow on out of here, move farther up, you’ll be safe out there and away from causing any problems.”

  “We’re not moving,” a voice called from behind the lead Mmoatia. This creature was a few inches smaller than its brothers and sisters, and its face was twisted and gnarly with scars. “You brought us here and gave us a home. We’re not moving. We’ve already made our nests, and nests are for life.”

  “If that was true, you wouldn’t have left your home in the first place,” Jasmine shot back quickly. She immediately felt guilty. She held up her hands placatingly. “I’m sorry, it’s just that you don’t understand the situation. I’m happy to help you guys move and find alternative arrangements. It’s in your best interests.”

  “We’re not moving,” the lead Mmoatia repeated. Its smiling face hardened. The creature pointed up to the nest. “We have spent all night making our beds, and we will stay here. You said it yourself. There is plenty of room for all of us. We don’t plan to stand in the way of the wolves. They can’t climb trees, can they? They can have the ground. We’ll have the skies. I don’t see the problem here.”

  Jasmine considered this, knowing that in one way the Mmoatia was right. What did it matter if they were up in the canopies while the wolves were down on the ground? Delilah’s surly expression reminded Jasmine that this was non-negotiable. She had to obey the pack’s commands if she wanted their help.

  She looked at Delilah imploringly. Delilah hardened her stare and shook her head.

  Jasmine sighed. “I’m sorry, guys. I don’t know what to tell you.”

  “Tell us whatever you want,” the gnarly Mmoatia asserted. “We’re not moving, and that’s that. Thank you for coming back to check in on us. Enjoy the rest of your day.”

  Without another word, they leaped gracefully into the trees. They sprang up with legs that were much more powerful than they looked. Their claws gripped the rough bark and drove them up into their nests.

  Only the lead Mmoatia remained behind. Jasmine was disgruntled to see the sadness in its eyes.

  “Thanks, but no thanks.” The creature turned and sped toward the tree but without the same gusto of its kin.

  Jasmine looked at Delilah for help. Delilah shook her head, keeping her eyes fixed on the creature. “Don’t look at me, pup. This is your mess; you need to sort it out. I’m just the muscle.”

  Jasmine’s skin tingled. She didn’t know what to do. On the one hand, she had just released these creatures here and given them a home, and only a few hours ago she had been pleased with her work here. She’d thought she’d managed to help a refugee race out of a dire situation and into a sanctuary of their own. On the other hand, she needed the pack. She wasn’t sure of her grandmother’s master plan, but she knew she needed them on her side. If she didn’t find a way to complete the task set to her by her grandmother, Delilah, Kendrick, and the others, she was screwed, and everything would end here.

  Justice for myself, or justice for others, Jasmine thought.

  She thought back to her initial discovery of the Mmoatia and their conversation in the dank, dark basement. They had mentioned a creature, hadn’t they? Something they were afraid of… A thing they were running from that was feral, primitive, hungry, and feasted on Mmoatia.

  What was it?

  She held her fingers to her head as the lead Mmoatia began its climb up a tree.

  An idea struck her. It was risky and unkind, but it might work.

  “Del, you have to shift,” Jasmine urged.

  Delilah stepped back, frowning. “I’m sorry?”

  “You have to shift,” Jasmine insisted. “Those creatures, they seem proud enough that they’re going to make a stand, but they have fear in them. They need to know what they need to be frightened of. We need to show them the reason they cannot stay.”

  Delilah’s eyebrows shot up. “Well, I didn’t see this coming from you.”

  Jasmine shrugged and motioned toward the tree. “Either you want them gone, or you don’t.”

  “Oh, I do,” Delilah agreed. “Those things stink to high Heaven. But this is supposed to be your job.”

  “And you owe me, don’t you?” Jasmine persisted, knowing she was playing with fire.

  The color drained from Delilah’s face. Her lip curled as she eyed the nest above. “I can’t. You saw what happened the other day. It’s too dangerous.”

  Jasmine shook her head. “Either we do this, or they stay. What do you want us to do? Go back to the pack so I can tell them I couldn’t get rid of the pests because you wouldn’t help and do what needed to be done?”

  To Jasmine’s surprise, Delilah looked down at the ground. “It’s too risky. When I’m in hell-hide, I…I lose the sense of who I am. You saw it the other day, the beast I become. You don’t want that to happen. I’ll end up taking the anger out on you. You’ll be in harm’s way.”