“The great Wolf family, caretakers of secrets and lies.” That’s the way I’d always thought about our ancestry. It wasn’t fair, not really, especially to our mother but members of our family were supposed to be the supreme alphas. It was as if we were still living back in barbarian times.

  He took a deep breath. Our last name was on the nose, which had always brought the family more than a hint of amusement when discussed. It wasn’t necessarily considered legitimate given it had been thrown at our ancestors two centuries before. The name had simply stuck because the label had followed us decade after decade.

  Until our DNA and makeup began to alter and the past became something of a legend.

  But we still couldn’t change who and what we were, no matter the breeding with outsiders or the decades that went by. We were wolves.

  Through and through.

  We were dangerous predators.

  And we could shift when needed, which was almost never.

  “Why the fuck do you say that?” he asked. Neither Riker nor Chase liked to talk about the possibility of other packs attempting to interfere in our lives, or that we might have some unknown enemy out there waiting in the shadows. But the possibility always hung in the air. And it always would.

  I had to admit it was something that still surprised me. “I almost turned the other night and it was with minimal provocation. My control wasn’t there. I hungered to shift. When has that happened?”

  Riker waited until I threw back my drink, remaining quiet as he refilled the glass. “Why? Anger from the meeting?”

  “No. Because a woman I was drawn to was almost accosted. I reacted automatically. I almost slaughtered the two men in front of the women.”

  “You did so without thinking?”

  “Yes.”

  “And did you turn?”

  Sighing, I shook my head. “Not fully, but I was right there. I could feel my wolf chomping at the bit. The desire for blood almost consumed me. I could see the men’s pulsing veins and hungered to rip them apart.” I didn’t even recognize my voice.

  He rubbed his jaw before looking away. “We can’t allow that to happen. We’ve come too far. We have too much to lose. Whatever is going on, we can’t lose sight of what we do on a daily basis and what we believe in. I’m getting to be like Chase. I don’t give a crap about their rules.”

  “They’ve kept us safe and out of the execution chambers. Don’t you think I don’t know that?”

  “Don’t get pissy with me. You are the last one of us I would ever expect to lose your control. What about this woman? Was she the target?”

  “The truth is I don’t know for certain, but I think the attack was random. She was mighty pretty though.”

  The strange silence was shattered by his amused laugh. “Mighty pretty? You slept with her. You old dog, you.”

  “She was… She is amazing.”

  “Uh-huh. Well, at least that makes sense with you almost changing. Your woman. You were claiming her. Big he-man.”

  Riker pounded his chest and did a deep howl like some freaking caveman.

  “Very funny. That’s not all. I feel others in the midst, close enough all my senses are on edge. I’m surprised you can’t sense them as well.”

  “You have that sixth sense, brother. I don’t.”

  “Well, you should be wary. All of us should.”

  His smile faded. “There’s nothing on the communications systems. There’s no chatter about a roaming pack.”

  My brother had been put in charge of keeping the family peace, as our mother liked to say. There were hundreds of other packs in the world, most evolving as we had into law-abiding citizens with families and lives, enjoying barbeques and festivals just like everyone else. However, there was always the possibility our secrets would be discovered, or a rogue pack would attempt to bring our ancestry out into the light.

  Or worse.

  My mind drifted to a single story my mother has insisted was true. A stronger species of wolves. I didn’t like what I was thinking.

  It was just a matter of time before all hell broke loose.

  The communications system had been devised by a brilliant Wolfen over two decades before. It kept our ability to communicate with each other completely off the grid. No one could detect our signals or overhear our conversations. Council emails were sent, including updated information on every illness affecting us. Hell, there was even a job board. We took care of our own.

  “That’s good to know, but I’m positive there’s something in the air.”

  “If that’s the case,” Riker said quietly, “the bodies will begin to drop. We can’t and won’t have that in our territory.”

  “No, we won’t.”

  He cocked his head after I let out a deep breath. “Is there something else you’re not telling me?”

  “I don’t know, Riker. There’s something about this woman that troubles me.”

  “Well, think of it this way, brother. You haven’t had sex in so long, you’re probably still in la-la land.”

  “You’re such a bastard.”

  Sedona

  All I could think about was how what I’d seen couldn’t be real. How was it possible?

  I’d watched the video three more times, trying to accept any other plausible reason for what was right there in vivid color. At this point, I couldn’t. Still.

  Maybe ever.

  I was headed to pick up my daughter, the girl the reason for my life. Yet, all I could think about was the incident earlier in the day. The agent had yet to return my call and I continually looked over my shoulder. I half expected the horrible creature to return.

  As I moved through the downtown streets, my mind continued to wander. I hadn’t realized I’d passed by the tarot card reading establishment until I hit the next block. Idling at the light, I made a decision.

  The girl had issued a warning, her fear real. Lucia knew more than she’d wanted to tell me. Maybe I needed to press her on what that was.

  I managed to find a parking spot close to the shop. I was shocked it was open on a Sunday but thankful. The mystery needed to be solved.

  Or at the very least put into some kind of perspective.

  As I headed to the small store, a strange sense of foreboding surrounded me. It was crazy, but I wasn’t superstitious, nor did I believe in creatures of the night. Horror movies were meant for entertainment purposes only.

  The jingle of the bell didn’t bring anyone to the front of the shop immediately. I stood silently, the anticipation and dread killing me. Looking back and realizing Lucia had been genuinely terrified, I couldn’t even fathom a decent excuse for what I’d seen. Not one.

  An older man moved through the curtain, a huge smile on his face. “The lady would like a reading.”

  “I actually had one. Is Lucia here? I just need to ask her a couple questions.”

  He was perplexed, even annoyed, but finally nodded.

  I turned purposely toward a cabinet full of lit candles. Somehow, the light flickers didn’t calm my nerves. Neither did the comforting scents.

  The soft whoosh indicated someone had returned through the curtains.

  “Can I help you?” Lucia’s strong voice floated toward me.

  When I turned around, just as I’d expected, another look of fear crossed her face. She turned as if getting ready to race away and I advanced.

  “Don’t go, Lucia. I need your help.”

  “I can’t help you.”

  “I think you can. In fact, you might be the only person who has that ability.”

  Her hesitation was enough that I advanced another couple of steps.

  “You don’t understand,” she said. Her voice was just above a whisper.

  “No, I don’t. Something happened to me today that I can’t comprehend. I’m a medical examiner. A victim of a horrible crime was brought into my office today for an autopsy, which I did as normal. I walked away for labs and…”

  “He came alive.”

  I nodded. “That’s not possible. He was dead.”

  “As I said, I can’t help you.” Her tone was more defiant, stronger.

  “Why? I’m only asking why you gave me the warning.”

  “Because you need to stay away from them.”

  “Them. Who are you talking about?” I was getting exasperated. The man had joined her and I had a feeling he was her father.

  “They are dangerous. If I say anything, they will kill me.”

  The man asked her a series of questions in a language I didn’t understand. After she answered, he stormed from around the counter, pointing toward the street.

  “You need to go. Now. My daughter cannot help you.”

  “But you don’t understand,” I pressed.

  “Get out. Do not come back.”

  Lucia had fled and I could swear even her father was shaking. I backed away. I had more questions than answers and that was the most unnerving aspect of all.

  What if what I’d seen was real?

  CHAPTER 10

  Sedona

  Life was unsettling. I’d experienced that tenfold over the last few years. While I was happy with the life I’d chosen, there were constant reminders of the past.

  Maybe everyone was supposed to remember so as not to repeat the same mistakes.

  At least I’d left my old life and the man who’d tried to drag me down for new adventures.

  But there were headaches.

  I continued seeing the wolf card and sighed. I knew it had been a bad idea to walk into that shop.

  Lucia’s reaction continued to weigh heavily on my mind. The entire situation was surreal to say the least.

  Here I was a scientist and I had no decent explanation.

  Answers weren’t going to be found on a Sunday night.

  I knocked on the turquoise door of the quaint Cape Cod hesitantly and waited. There was never any indication of how my almost sister-in-law’s mood would be. Emily Abbott was, from what I could tell, a decent person. She was a true aunt with all the trimmings to my daughter. She was also family.

  But she was close to the man I’d left behind in Virginia, a part of her loathing me even to this day.

  Maybe I’d made a bad choice in choosing to move here, but I wanted Britney to have family around her. Plus, Cartersville was safe and the school system considered one of the best in the country.

  Safe except for the night before. I couldn’t get the incident out of my mind.

  Or the handsome man.

  I bit my lower lip and fanned my face. He was Mr. McHottie all the way.

  Get a grip, girl.

  Emily opened the door, taking a deep breath as she usually did when she was forced to deal with me. “I thought you weren’t coming. I was just getting ready to call you.”

  “I had a break-in at the office today. The police were called. A report given. Just another day.” I’d decided to contact the police for a bogus report, which part of me felt bad about. However, I would never be able to explain to the staff why the location had been torn apart if I hadn’t. People talked in this town and with the FBI involved, I couldn’t risk bizarre and very unwanted stories being told.

  At least her expression softened. “I’m sorry to hear that. I did go ahead and give Britney dinner.”

  “Thank you. I really appreciate you doing that.” She let me in, although she backed away as if I was toxic.

  “She’s coloring right now. Do you… want anything to drink?”

  “No, I’m fine. As you might imagine, it’s been a long day.” And it had been. My mind still couldn’t process all the events. For now, I had to push everything out of my mind.

  Britney always knew when something was wrong. She was a mini-me, taking after her mother in every aspect. Including pushing questions until she received the answers she wanted.

  “Of course.”

  Emily and I stood face to face, two decent individuals. Sadly, it always felt like our meetings were confrontations. This evening was no exception.

  “I heard about the restraining order,” she finally said. Her anger was just below the surface. We couldn’t carry on a decent conversation without comments about her brother. They weren’t that close. Another reason I’d elected to move here.

  “I felt it was necessary.”

  “Because he wants to see his daughter?”

  “Because he continuously called at all hours of the night. He refused to take no for an answer and was determined to take his daughter far away. His words. Not mine. What was I supposed to do?”

  “Maybe have a little compassion for a change. My brother has gone through a lot. You left him when he needed you the most.”

  Her accusations were the same and they were getting old. “We’ve been through this, Emily. I left Daniel only after he refused to get help for his pill addiction and trashed the house. Not once but twice. I couldn’t and will never allow my daughter to live in an environment like that.”

  “She’s his daughter too.”

  I didn’t need that reminder. Just the effort of sighing brought a sarcastic chuckle from the woman. “Yes, she is and I want Daniel to get better, but he has to make the first move and want to. I tried doing that for him for almost two years. Two. Years. All I was doing was enabling him.”

  “Mama. Is everything okay?”

  Britney had a vocabulary of a much older child. Maybe that was because her mother talked too much shop. Not this go-around. I refused to give her nightmares.

  “Of course, baby girl. Did you have fun with Aunt Emily?” I scooped her up, booping her nose before tickling her tummy.

  She giggled and nodded as only happy kids could do.

  “Well, it’s time to go home, baby girl. Say goodnight to your aunt.”

  “Bye, Auntie!” Britney waved as I moved toward the door. The last thing I could tolerate was another round of being berated.

  “Incidentally. Happy birthday,” Emily said. It was her way of continuing the light harassment.

  I said nothing as I left her house. Yes, I was grateful I could count on her for overnight stays, but with the restraining order in place, I sensed her loyalty would continue creeping in his direction.

  Britney jabbered all the way home. Her tiny quips and constant questions not only kept me entertained, but kept my mind off the video that I’d even stored on my phone. I wasn’t certain why, other than I had a feeling I needed to make copies of my report, which I’d already done.

  As soon as I guided her from the car, I glanced at the sky. The clouds had dissipated, leaving a nearly full moon shining brightly over the town. My wacked-out mind drifted to every werewolf horror flick I’d ever seen, most of them bad representations of entertainment.

  Based in lore? You bet.

  Based on any real fact? Not a chance in hell.

  I continued to remind myself of it.

  “Okay, girlie. You have school tomorrow, so you need to get to bed and have the sweetest dreams in the world.”

  “Mama,” Britney huffed. She placed her tiny hands on her hips, giving me the same kind of look I’d caught myself doing in the mirror.

  I dreaded when she would become a teenager.

  “I am almost five. I want to negotiate a different bedtime contract.”

  If I’d had a drink in my hand, I would have spit it out all over everything. As it was, I coughed in an effort to keep from bursting into laughter. She was serious.

  “I tell you what. We can have that discussion tomorrow, but only if you go to bed like a good little minion.”

  “I’m not a minion. I am a princess.”

  “Does that mean you agree?”

  She wrinkled that cute little nose of hers as she debated. “Fine, but I want ice cream during our conversation.”

  How did I get such a highly intelligent child?

  “Deal. Now go get your PJs on.”

  A bath would wait. Even Mama was tired and needed wine. Lots of wine. I required something to possibly dull the nightmares.

  Because I knew they would arrive dead in the middle of the night.

  Dead.

  There was a word.

  My little minion took her time getting ready for bed. She was still jabbering when I walked in, offering one of three different books to read.

  “That one, Mommy. I love alligators. And wolves. Do we have any books on wolves?”

  Only my daughter would prefer having me read a book about alligators instead of a happy dog or a teddy bear. But wolves?

  “I don’t think we have any on wolves, but how about a doggie?”

  She huffed and rolled her eyes. “Not the same.”

  I couldn’t help but think about the autopsy as well as the tarot card. No, I wasn’t going there. I didn’t believe in the paranormal. Nope. Not this girl.

  “Alligators it is. Scooch over, baby girl.” I turned the lights down low just like she liked them before piling onto her bed. She’d insisted on picking out her own comforter, a gift after we’d moved. She was a little princess at heart, but so wanted to be an adult.

  At least her room still reflected her age at this point. I had a feeling that would change soon enough.

  As I started reading, she laid her head on my arm. We’d always taken comfort in each other and I prayed it never stopped.

  Page after page, her tiny breath sounds augmented the story. But I knew instantly when she was starting to fall asleep. I always lowered my voice, waiting until I was positive that she’d fallen into a deep slumber. I had a feeling Auntie Emily had worn her out. At least there was that.

  The glow in the room had also given me comfort over these last few months. Reading and enjoying her company was a tangible good. Normal. It was what I’d needed after moving.

  I headed to the kitchen, immediately tugging down the blinds. I’d never worried about it before. Why now? Did I really think a wolf was watching me through the window?

  Get a grip, girl. You’re a professional.

  One more reminder and I was going to go ballistic. Yes, I knew I was a medical doctor with special skills and there were scientific explanations for everything. I had to believe that or…