(Cassie POV) Paige keeps talking about rejecting Jason, but I am not convinced that rejecting him is the right thing for her to do. As someone who rejected her first mate —and Jason specifically— I see many differences between our two situations. For one thing, it is obvious that Jason, Paige, and their wolves have established a strong connection. They care deeply about each other, and their wolves are weaker when they are apart. For another thing, I have personally watched both of them grow up and change over the past several months. I have to believe that the changes have a lot to do with the fact that they have been paired together. Paige is being forced to confront her insecurities and past trauma, and Jason is having to control his emotions, learn to prioritize others, and be open to new ways of thinking. Now, I have to admit that I do not know why the Moon Goddess thought it was a good idea to pair Paige with the wolf who impregnated and abandoned her friend. That defi

(About 90 minutes earlier)(Cassie POV)Could I be pregnant? Surely not. But...maybe?Aaron and I have definitely enjoyed each other the last few months. And apparently, thanks to Granny Apple, that has been unprotected enjoyment. Now that I think about it, the signs have all been there. Mood swings; things tasting weird; heightened sex drive.But I would know if I was pregnant, wouldn’t I? Missy would know? “I have a lot of talents, Cassie, but pregnancy detection is not one of them,” Missy speaks up.Paige, Megan, and Josephine are all watching and staring at me. “Sweetheart, it would make sense…” Josephine starts to say.“Maybe we should buy you a test on the way back to Blue Moon…” Paige suggests.“No!” I protest. “We are surrounded by guards from multiple packs, and they are just as bad at gossiping as anyone else. If we stop for a pregnancy test on the way home, Aaron and my parents will have heard about it before we even walk back through the door. I need to be sure

(Three Days Earlier) (Cassie POV) I notice the kidnapper pull down her hood and turn herself to look at Paige. Paige gasps. “Shelly?????????” Shelly? Who is Shelly? “Miss me?” Shelly taunts. I glance at Paige in the rear-view mirror. She looks both pale and confused. Shelly waves her gun in my face, basically using it as a pointer. “Get on the interstate. I’ll tell you when to pull over. We have a car waiting for us in about 20 miles.” “Shelly, why are you here? What is going on?” Paige asks. “I thought it was finally time for you to have some one-on-one time with your beloved stalker.” “What? You…. You are the stalker?” Shelly gives us an evil smile. “Who else would it be?” “But… why?” “Oh, little sister, have you really not figured it out yet? Goddess you are naïve. I thought for sure you would have grown up and gotten a little smarter by now.” Shelly starts digging in one of the pockets in her hoodie. She pulls out two silver bracelets and hands one to each

(Jason POV) As promised, Alpha Paul arrived at the packhouse within three hours. Aaron, Blake, my dad, Alpha Mike, and I all met with him in Aaron’s office. Alpha Paul wasted very little time with pleasantries. He asked us to tell him what we had learned about the kidnapping so far. It may seem odd that we were willing to share our intel with him, but we had discussed it before Alpha Paul arrived. Alpha Paul had a good reputation in the werewolf community, with many trusted and common allies. And —most importantly— we were desperate and running out of options. Once we told Alpha Paul the basics of what had happened and what we knew, he told us the story of the Moonlight Six. He admitted that the story he had pieced together had some inconsistencies and some holes, but he believed that the rough outline was generally correct. According to Alpha Paul, ten years ago, a group of she-wolves attended a summer camp together. They were all assigned to the same cabin for the summer,

(Alpha Paul POV)As we await word from Alpha Aaron’s team about whether they will be able to locate and bring in Synthia Robles and her son, Bobby, my mind races.I have studied the Moonlight Six for months. I have made it my personal mission to find out everything that there is to know about the who, what, when, where, and why of their lives. Many of the things that I have learned about them have been upsetting, disgusting, alarming, and nauseating.I did not think that anything about them could surprise me anymore. And yet, when Granny Apple said that Shelly was dating a wolf named Bobby, I was shocked.“Bobby” is a common name, so of course I know that it is possible that Shelly is dating a different “Bobby” than the one who inspired the Moonlight Six. However, I learned early on in my research that there is no such thing as a coincidence when it comes to the Moonlight Six. I have also learned to trust my gut, and my gut and my wolf are both convinced that Shelly’s Bobby is th