~ CARA ~I didn’t understand until Tessa dropped her head and rolled her shoulders forward, hunching slightly and keeping her eyes on his feet.“I’m not here to make trouble, I promise.”“Rig, what’s going on?” I breathed.He didn’t take his eyes off Tessa, but he spoke to me. “Tessa’s from an ally pack—but not mine, not a direct bloodline. She could be a spy.”“I’m not! I swear!”Rig moved so quickly my heart hammered, putting himself between me and Tessa, his arms slightly back to box me in as he stood over her.“I’m loyal, Rig! Ask Natalie! Natalie talked to me because she knows—"

~ CARA ~I tried to look casual. “Oh?” I asked hesitantly.Was she afraid I was going to start shape-shifting when the moon came up or something? Because Rig had already told me all that moon stuff was bullshit. I had to swallow back a bubble of hysterical laughter.“What?”Meg shook her hands suddenly, then a shiver rocked through her. “I can’t be sure,” she hedged, not looking me in the eye. “But I think… I think you need to be careful about Rig.”I froze.“Some of the stuff these people are saying… it fits, Cara. It fits for Rig, and Charlie, and Mack, and Jack and this whole pack thing they have g

~ RIG ~It had been such a tense night—a tense week—I couldn’t let her go. I was supposed to return to the packhouse so there was no risk of anyone questioning where I slept, or who I was with. But if anyone had followed me, they’d seen me leave the library hours earlier, and they’d seen Cara leave alone too. I’d come here as Ralf.It was risky—if a wolf really wanted to find me and knew I’d gone to the library, they could follow my wolf-scent.I wavered back and forth, but decided to stay, at least until she slept. Looking at Cara’s eyes, bloodshot with weariness, but shining and pleading with me, I didn’t even talk to her about it.We both needed rest, her most of all.

~ RIG ~ “I am not letting Mack touch my mate.”Natalie rolled her eyes. “I’m not talking about him doing anything with her. I’m saying when we’re walking across campus, or at the library, or we go out for fucking dinner, I don’t know. The point is, she’s with us and no one thinks twice about it, because she’s his… rebellious phase.”I could picture exactly what she was saying. Knew it was a good idea. But it made my skin crawl and my hackles rise.But Natalie’s gaze was piercing, and she didn’t look away. “You know it’s the only way to have her close an

~ CARA ~“Oh, come on! There must be some humans who know? But stay loyal?”They all looked at each other, Natalie seemed thoughtful, but the guys just looked dark. Rig kept staring at me, pleading.“No,” he said. “At least, none that know for real. I’m sure some exist somewhere, but we don’t bring them in. It’s too dangerous, Cara. I told you—”“Yes, yes, I know. But… but this is the way it’s been done by these wolves you hate, right? The ones who control everything and everyone? I thought you wanted to do things differently? Isn’t that the whole point? How can we have two sets of rules—one for wolves, and one for humans? It’s okay to give the wolves freedom, but if a human s