‘You know that man?’ Kylar had moved towards me, his actions instinctive, protective. I find myself leaning into that protection. Even if it’s new. I feel safer with Kylar than I did with my own pack. Afterall, they banished me.‘I know him,’ I agree with a voice that’s a shiver. ‘He’s from my old pack,’ I explain, ‘Silver Stream.’Kylar looks down at me, searching my face as if we have all the time in the world. We take a pause together and I already miss our sense of calm and security. With only his presence, Josh has shattered that. The past has intruded on the present. They rejected me. They banished me. How dare he arrive on my doorstep. I can’t breathe.‘We need to have that talk,’ Kylar says for my ears alone before he strides forward towards Josh. Josh is just how I remembered him, dark haired with blue eyes. He has an angular face and high cheekbones. Josh looks between me and Kylar as I step up alongside the future Alpha of Midnight Forest. I always thought Josh was kind o

KylarI’ll do anything I can to take the pain away from Ava. Objectively, I know that I’m not the one who Banished a young woman from my pack for getting pregnant. That’s not something I would ever do. But I can’t help but feel responsible for what happened to her. I can’t believe her Father did that to her. It’s unimaginably cruel. Now I know why she’s so guarded. Why she’s built all the walls around her heart to protect herself, why she only seems to have one good friend in the Human, Lou. I knew that Ava was hurt, but it was a betrayal of her entire family and pack. I’m clear in my mind that she did nothing wrong. They betrayed her. They made a vulnerable young woman a Rogue and sent her out into the world, alone. I want to tear them all apart. Part of me, the darker part of my Spirit, is sorry her Father has already passed, so I can’t kill him myself. I feel a sickening desire to ruin them all, to bring the Silver Stream to its knees. I understand, completely, why Ava doe

Sure enough, by the time Kylar moves away from me, I can see the shadow of Lou at the door. I pull it open and she steps in, giving me a hug. I squeeze her back and she offers up a half-smile. At the moment she has a dark blue pixie cut, she’s gorgeous as always, but having met the Alpha of the Pack, it’s like they’re opposites.‘You going to be okay?’ Lou pats my shoulder, looking up at me with big blue eyes. ‘Yeah,’ I glance at Kylar who’s pulling on his boots behind me, ‘going to be okay.’Lou kisses my cheek before stepping past the pair of us. She waits at the bottom of the stairs till we close the door. I let out the breath that feels like it’s trapped in my body. Taking hold of Kylar’s hand as we walk through the village together. There’s a light breeze and I can feel it pulling my hair out of the simple ponytail I’m wearing. Kylar squeezes my hand and I look at him, reassured. Even if it feels like my heart is sinking into my sneakers. I’m dressed in simple jeans, a tank

I finish my cocoa and Marie knows that I’m reluctant to leave. So it’s no surprise that Kylar arrives at the door and lets himself in. He’s wearing the same clothes but his dark hair is tousled. Green eyes focused as he carries in a bag and offers it to me with a small smile.‘I asked Lou to pick out some clothes for you,’ he tells me quietly and glances to Marie before sighing. ‘Marie clearly knows that we’re seeing each other,’ he touches his fingertips to his temple and I nod. Marie must be speaking to him telepathically. ‘Will you stay with me tonight?’ He asks, dropping his voice, even though it’s pointless and Marie can definitely hear.I give my nod of agreement and slip behind the screen again. I hear the pair of them return to the kitchen, collecting up the mugs and washing up. Talking quietly as the door closes behind them.Lou picked out a pair of short khaki pants that reach below my knee, and a black tank top. I check the bag, grateful to find a black bra and matching

I feel like we have stepped back in time, and it hits like a hammer. Josh opens up the door for us, before giving me the keys. I look down at the keychain. A simple silver half moon. They’re my keys. The keys I left behind the day I was told get out. I turn them over, even the weight is familiar. The little scratches on the metal. I’m blinking back tears and Kylar, Sasha and the others are moving into the space, looking around.‘We can decamp here?’ Kylar looks back at me from the living room and I nod.‘Yeah, that's the biggest room…’ I pull myself back to the present and set the keys down in the little bowl by the front door. Where we always kept our keys. ‘There are four bedrooms upstairs,’ I explain, trying to keep myself matter of fact. This isn’t my home any longer. Even though nothing has changed from the day that I left. On one level I can understand that. Afterall, Bella was married, she moved into a little house with Josh the day after their wedding. After my Mum died,