Evan knew something was wrong the moment he walked in. The subtle shift of light in his sharp eyes betrayed his wariness, and when he closed the door behind himself, it was far quieter than usual. It was as if he were tiptoeing, gently grazing the surface of the pond, waiting for the shadow underneath to rise and reveal itself. Was I that shadow? Was I really something for him to be wary of? I was Claudia, half-breed werewolf, small and no threat at all. Most of my life, I'd been a slave. No one had ever been wary of me, ever. But there Evan was, staring at me instead of wrapping me up in a hug as he usually did whenever he returned home, whether it had been five minutes or two hours. I stared back. "Is it true?" "Is what true?" "It's not on the websites for the local news channels, but I've been learning to use social media a little lately." I searched his face, pausing so he could interject. He didn't. "I still get confused

Peelle made time to visit us later that night. It was nearly midnight when he arrived, exhausted and grimed up, and the first thing he did was to borrow Evan's shower to clean off. He came out to join us wearing his spare clothes in the duffel bag he had brought, hair spiky and wet.I couldn't recall Peelle and Raf ever having met, but they recognized each other and exchanged greetings. Maybe they had met in university? We were all in the same overarching pack after all, even if we were associated with different branches of the massive group. It wasn't unbelievable they had already crossed paths."I had to come see for myself when I heard the news," he said with a smile. Despite the fatigue in his baggy eyes, there was a deeply pleased aura coming from him, and his thoughts were more serene and hopeful than they had ever been. "Word was that you stepped away from taking point on the investigation and let the team handle it instead. I didn't believe it for a minute. But

If I had been in my right mind, I would never have let it happen.But sometime between the moment Peelle fled with the car to draw off the pursuers, and the moment Evan picked me back up in his arms, I drifted off. I had no strength left to stay conscious.When I came to, I was somewhere warm, somewhere soft. A soft lamp shone its gentle yellow light from the nightstand by my head, and I twitched around under the covers while regaining my bearings."Don't move. You're still off-balance and you could hurt yourself."My vision went in and out of focus. There he was. Evan had risen from the armchair on the other side of the nightstand and was now standing over me, adjusting the covers. Covers? Bed? Wait, where...?"We're in a safe house. It's not well-stocked and it's uncomfortable, but it's the only secure spot in the city right now. The Scarlet pack is fighting off the rogues and the other enemies from the manor. Once the coast is clear, I'll get yo

They had set up a temporary stronghold at Scarlet University. It was one of the places most securely guarded when all hell broke loose, and the loyal members of the Scarlet pack had taken advantage of the stored food, backup generators, dormitories and suites, and even the medical supplies. Enemies had taken control of the two smaller hospitals in the city, leaving only the major one in friendly hands, which meant any injured civilians or weaker Deltas with less regenerative power needed all the extra help they could get.But Peelle had been beyond all medical aid. When a team of Deltas had rendezvoused with everyone else at the new base in Scarlet University, they had come carrying his marred body in the mangled car that he had used to kill at least several other pursuers. No one would ever know the full story, but it seemed that because he had been unable to shift, he had turned and crashed his car straight into the enemy vehicles, both of them, as they came around the bend

With his hands on my waist, he pushed me toward the bed. The towel was still draped over the top of his head, but it was bound to drop sooner or later as he shoved me onto the mattress with a mischievous smile. I yelped when he dropped on top of me, his body still warm from the shower and intoxicatingly damp. Really! He had time to rest and he was going to waste it like this... Or so I should have complained, but I moaned under the rough strokes of his hands as he dived under my shirt. His lips on the side of my neck teased and nipped at my ear before trailing to my cheek, where he traced his tongue in a tempting, fluttering butterfly trail before reaching my own lips. But the kiss was neither teasing nor slow, and as soon as his mouth was on mine, he surged with dominant strength to tame me with his tongue. Hard and fiery, he pinned me to the bed and kissed me breathless, trapping me under his weight as he let out all the pent-up desire he'd kept back for days. We'd