~ CARA ~Rig was loading drinks and clothes in the car when Natalie and Mack showed up looking like they had been at a rave all night--eyes bright and energy high, but there were dark circles under their eyes and I was pretty sure this was the first time I'd ever seen Natalie in a messy bun. "Are you okay?" I murmured to her when she hugged me.She nodded as she pulled away, her eyes immediately finding Mack, who'd gone to talk to Rig at the back of the car.There was a tense moment when there was no movement that I could see through the windows of the car. It seemed like the two just stared at each other. But I guessed they were talking in the link. Then suddenly... nothing. Rig leaned down to pick up his bag,

~ CARA ~The male’s eyes never left Rig. “So, you’re the one,” he said quietly, thoughtfully. “I’ll admit, when we heard you were coming, I expected… more.”I wanted to get offended, but I looked at Rig and he smiled a smile I’d never seen on his face before—the look he’d given when I first met him, the one that reminded me of a predator had its roots here. But this was far, far more dangerous.“Feel free to underestimate me,” Rig said with a sinister smile. “That will go well for you.”The male smiled casually. But before he could respond, Rig spoke again.“If you aren’t familiar with the language, I’m bringing a f

~ RIG ~I stood there, stunned—and truly apprehensive for the first time. No wonder they hadn’t wanted to hear from me. No wonder they thought I was trying to deceive them.Instinctively I flared my nostrils, trying to pull in his scent, but it danced away—the breeze was low this deep in the forest, but it ran to his advantage.So that’s why he’d kept his distance? To hide his Alpha state? But why? I was on his turf—he should have wanted to own every inch of my breach, his body responding to the offense of it, his scent rising so I’d catch it.Why was he keeping his distance—still? What didn’t he want me to know about him? He was strong, but… if I was reading him right, I was stronger.

~ RIG ~“What the…? What the fffff…?” My head was spinning, literally.I was vaguely aware of Cara behind me, her heart slamming, her mind reaching for mine with a dozen wordless, urgent questions, but I couldn’t think straight to even begin to parse it out.Stephen.My brother, Stephen.The intended Alpha.The one Dad was supposed to have killed.“What the—”“I know this is a shock,” he said, his eyes never leaving mine, but swimming with compassion, the way they always had—there were even hints of

~ RIG ~“Rig—”“Four years, Stephen! Four fucking years I thought you were dead! Four years I’ve cried about you and wished you were there and hated whoever took you from us and… this is really fucked!”“I know. I’m sorry. I mean it.”“Sorry doesn’t change anything,” I growled. Cara caught my elbow when I stepped up to my slightly bigger brother’s chest and pressed a finger there. “You did this to us. You and Dad. And don’t even get me started on that. Working with that psycho? You know he’s psycho, right? You know he cares more about his fucking bloodline legacy than about you and me?”“Trust me,” Steph