I make the drive out to my parents’ place in the late afternoon. We have over two hundred acres of land where their house and both of my brothers’ houses are. The sigma processing facility and research lab are also there, hidden deep in the woods, away from prying eyes.“Mom? Dad? I’m home!” I look around, hoping Dad isn’t actually in the house. He hates when we yell inside. The smell of food is coming from the kitchen, leading me in that direction.“How’s my baby boy?” Mom gives me a kiss on the cheek. “Dad’s out back with your brothers. I hope you’re hungry.”“Do you need help, Mom?” I ask, looking around the kitchen.“Just set the table for me. Always such a sweet boy.” She coos at me with sparkling gray eyes. Her dark brown hair is pulled back into a messy ponytail.As usual, Mom has gone completely overboard with cooking. She insists we eat dinner as a family once a month, whether or not we want to. She gets excited when all of us are under the same roof. One big happy family. We

Keller’s POVTwo days after I watched Lavender bolt into the forest, Jasper and I start vacation out with a bang. Specifically on his parents' private jet, with the ‘stewardesses’ he hired for the trip. As soon as we land, we drop our bags off at his parents' beach front condo in South Beach and head to the bars.We spend our days on the beach and our nights at the bars, with more alcohol and women than one werewolf should have in a lifetime, let alone three weeks.I didn’t realize how much I needed to get away from work until I’m relaxing on the beach in Miami for a couple weeks. The heat of the sun makes all the images of scrawny, strung out girls melt away from my mind like bad dreams. The hopeless words and empty eyes fade from my memory more with every passing day. Even the crazy series of events from the night I met my mate are no longer consuming my thoughts. I’m able to convince Rocky that Lavender would take care of Zara until she finds a friend to stay with, and we don’t need

The next couple of weeks of work go really smoothly. Schmoozing execs in boardrooms and speaking to high school students about the dangers of drugs is a refreshing change from picking up junkie sigmas off the streets. If this is what it’s like to be in Dad’s shoes, I could get used to it. On Thursday, I’m set to speak to a student group at the university about the dangers of drug addiction and how to help their friends. I laugh, thinking about the bags of ketamine, cocaine, and weed in my kitchen drawers and cabinets. Who's supposed to help me? Which reminds me to call Jasper before I’m set to speak so we can catch up. “So you’re taking over for your old man?” Jasper takes a bite of his sandwich and looks at me, confused. “Just for a month or so, then back out on the streets,” I sip my coffee, “It’s kind of his way of testing me, I think. See if I’m up for it when he is ready to retire. You know, my brothers could never be the face of t

I order a pizza and pull a couple of bottles of water out of the refrigerator while I wait for Zara to come out of the bathroom. “Rocky, I think I should have Zara stay here instead of in the dorm,” I cave to the idea. “So she can be our mate now?” he sounds so hopeful, “You’re finally thinking straight.” “I was thinking more like a roommate who needs someone to look out for her,” I clarify for him. “We can’t have a sigma for a mate, Rocky. I don’t even want to imagine what would happen if my family found out. She’s safer if we have her move into the guest room and just make sure she is being taken care of.” “So a beautiful roommate?” his demeanor drops when he realizes what I’m saying. “Yeah, she is beautiful,” I agree, “But I think I overestimated her ability to take care of herself.” “So we will protect her.” I sense a shift in his energy to a more serious nature. “Yeah, we will protect her. That’s a g

I consider my next move before I leave the bedroom. Should I go try to speak with Zara or should I give her space? I need to explain, but I also need to tread lightly. If I have to tell Rocky she's gone when I unblock him, who knows what his reaction will be? One thing is certain, it won't be good. I need to clear the air and see if I can convince her to stay. I listen for her, but without Rocky, I can’t hear that far. My human senses aren’t sharp enough, so I walk to the guest room to speak with her. I’m about to knock, but think better of it. If the sound of the air conditioning makes her jumpy, what would happen with a knock on her door? Especially after what happened earlier. “Zara? Can we talk?” I lean my ear against the door and concentrate.  From inside, I hear shuffling sounds, then something falling over with a hard thud. She’s whispering to herself and something is being dragged across the floor, then silence. “Za