“What’s the matter, Slate?” Jack asked, having finally found the cabin in question. It was right under his nose, but Everly was right, there was something preventing him from finding it. He had picked up on Everly’s scent, and then, it was the pull of her mark that had eventually led him to this place. “Did I ruin your plans for this evening?”“No, I just wish your timing wasn’t so… typical,” he muttered.Jack had no idea what that meant, but he knew he couldn’t trust the bastard. He’d shifted and gotten dressed before he’d come to knock on the door. Knocking was easier with hands for one thing, and for another, if this was the wrong cabin, it would be better to be in his human form so he’d be less likely to get shot. He was still covered in mud, sweat, and blood, but at least he was here. Finally.“Jack!” Everly said, stepping around Slate who seemed to be baring th

“Slate?” Everly said, her eyes wide even though she’d been almost asleep a few minutes ago. “What are you doing here?” She wanted to add, if Jack found him here, he’d pound him into the ground, or try, and she really wasn’t in the mood for a huge fight at the moment.“Sorry, Everly,” he said. “I couldn’t sleep. I needed to talk to you about something.”“Well, I could sleep,” she said. “It can’t wait until morning?”He ran a hand through his unruly blond hair, making it fall over his dark eyes. He had taken a shower, and the scent of soap wafted to her nostrils, but he hadn’t shaved, and the thought that if she reached over and grazed his cheek, she was likely to cut her hand crossed her mind. “It can’t wait, Ev.”Letting out a loud sigh, she moved aside and let him in.Slate entered and closed the door behind him. They were treading o

The next morning, Everly’s head hurt, and the sun seemed too bright, but then she remembered where she was and what was supposed to happen that day.Sitting up in the unfamiliar bed, she blinked a few times and slid out so that her feet were on the floor.She was already dressed since the clothing Margot had given her were sweats and a T-shirt. She knew that Alyson had sent an outfit for her as well and thought maybe she’d change into that.What was a person supposed to wear when they saw their mom again for the first time in eleven years?She used the bathroom, brushed her teeth with the toothbrush Margot had given her, and headed out into the living room to see if the guys were up. She expected Jack to be because he always got up before her, but if he was awake, he was still in the bedroom.Only Margot was up. She was taking care of the fireplace, something she’d have to do since she was a human. It hadn’t even occurred to Everly th

“Other werewolves?” Everly stared at her mother, not sure what in the world she was talking about. “Margot said you were the only one around here that she was helping.”“Yeah, that’s right,” Chelsea said. “I’m the only one in the immediate area, but there are others within a few hours.”“But… how?” Everly asked. “The council didn’t find out about them?”Chelsea shook her head. “No, in a lot of cases, they came from one person who was spared by someone like Margot who then wanted a family and ended up… making one.”Everly’s eyes widened. She couldn’t believe anyone would do something like that.“But how would they be able to help us?” Jack asked. “They can only shift into their wolves during a full moon, and that won’t be for another month.”Chelsea stared at him for a long moment and then chuckled.

Slate’s mere presence was enough to drive Jack insane, but the moment that he was alone in Margot’s living room with the Nachtwolf, Jack was ready to toss him out on his haunches.When Slate started telling him how wrong he was for doubting Everly when she said that her mother was there, Jack wasn’t about to listen to him spouting off for more than half a second.Now, the two of them were squaring off against one another in Margot’s back yard.At least they’d managed to wait until they’d gotten outside to shift so they hadn’t torn up the old woman’s house.As much as Slate wanted to pretend that he was the perfect young man with the nice manners and Jack was the bad guy, that was all a bunch of bullshit, and eventually, he thought Everly’s mother and everyone else would see right through it. He’d wanted to fight Jack in the living room.In their wolf forms, Jack and Slate squared off against one ano