EMMA “If I’m not worth it, why do you waste so much effort trying to get a rise out of me?” I asked. I looked her over from head to toe. The dress she wore was tight and came just low enough to cover her lady bits. It wasn’t attractive on her at all. She could try all she wanted, but nothing could cover up her personality. Of course, she didn’t respond because she had nothing to say back to that. “That’s what I thought. Heed my warning from earlier. Don’t be stupid,” I said before sitting back down. Marsey, being a dumb bitch, grabbed my hair and yanked, pulling me back to my feet. Both of the guys went to intervene, but I didn’t need them to come to my rescue. I was more than capable of dealing with Marsey’s bullshit. She wasn’t a threat at all. I rolled my eyes before I took a step back with my right foot and planted my body before grabbing her forearms and flipping her over until she was laying against the floor on her back and no longer holding my locks in her greasy paws. M

ETHAN We fell into silence, both lost in our own thoughts while we entered the packhouse. We walked up to the third floor next to one another. He stole a few quick glances at Emma but tried to do it without making it obvious. Well, it was obvious that he was interested in her. It was also obvious that he was concerned about her. I had never seen Xander actually interested in someone before. The she-wolves that he had been with were just there for a release. He always made that abundantly clear to them. Sure, they seemed to always forget that, but he never did. I was not even surprised that it was Emma who finally caught his attention. There was something incredibly special about her. She would be great for him, keep him in line, kick his ass whenever the occasion rose, and help him learn to live his life instead of just surviving it. He would be good for her too because I knew Xander. He would treat her like a Queen as long as he did not get in the way of himself. She needed people

EMMA “Can I see the substance?” I asked Ethan. He nodded before going to get it from the safe in the corner. “Wait, is that pure liquid silver?” I asked curiously. I peered into the safe and almost clapped my hands. This would be the perfect opportunity to test a curiosity that had always been on my mind. I did not have the ability to test it before, but now I did. This was going to be fun. “Yes…why?” Ethan asked hesitantly. I flashed him a bright smile and patted him on the back. We were about to conduct a science experiment. How fun indeed? “I have a theory that I would like to test.” He chuckled at my enthusiasm before he brought the entire try over, silver and all. We were both curious creatures by nature, so I knew he was eager to see where this was going. I loved that about him. Back at the screen, I pointed out the similarity again. “This strand of DNA right here is what is responsible for how a shifter reacts to silver. Given that it’s found in both DNA samples, it shoul

EMMA I reached out to Ethan once we got closer to the packhouse. He forced me to shop, so he could help carry the damn bags. Emma – “Hey, I bought Rome on your credit card. We’re five minutes out. Can you help get the bags?” Ethan – “Only if you brought me gelato.” Emma – “Fresh out of gelato. How about I make you some pie?” Ethan – “SEE YOU IN FIVE” “Ethan will help us get everything in,” I said, putting my phone back in my purse. Diana smiled, pulling onto the drive that led to the packhouse. “I think you’re really good for him even if it is just as a friend. Ethan has always been a little shit who needed someone that could put him in his place. Be patient with Xander. Being Alpha hardened him, but I think you may be able to break through that.” I just nodded without responding. Ethan was a great guy, and I was thankful for his friendship. Was it possible that Diana was right about Xander? That was an area that I had no knowledge in. I hoped she was because I could not shake

XANDER “Hey, you got a moment?” Ethan asked nervously as he came into my office. Ethan did not do nervous, so I immediately felt uneasy. I motioned for him to come in and sit down. He looked out towards both sides of the hallway before shutting the door behind him. My eyes followed his movements, not sure why he was acting so skittish. Blood was smeared on his bottom lip from a cut that just healed. He always had a nasty habit of biting his bottom lip when he was stressed out. “Are you here to murder me and take over the Alpha title? You can have all of it without the murder,” I joked, trying to lighten the mood. Ethan chuckled, but it sounded hollow and off. His body was tensed, as if being weighted down. And quite honestly he looked like shit. Ethan dealt with shit differently than I did. I withdrew and closed my emotions off to get by, but he embraced his. Two opposites but exactly what balanced us together. For him to act this way meant that something happened. “Seriously, t