CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY EIGHT

JASPER

Weston leads me and Zach over to a small path that leads into the woods. I’m genuinely surprised that he wants to spend time with us. But we’re about the same age, and now that he’s taken over as Alpha, maybe he wants to demonstrate strong leadership by forging these bonds.

There’s a clearing in the woods with a little campfire already burning. Weston sits down on a log and starts handing out hot dogs and sticks to roast them on.

“Thanks for this,” I say, still feeling a bit uncomfortable about this. Up until very recently, Weston and his crew were engaged in a blood feud with me and Zach, trying to kill us and destroy our ancestral cave.

But I’m grateful for the second chance. I’m not sure what my parents would think of me having this sort of “guy time” with a bear shifter, but we’re the generation in charge now, and we get to forge a new path forward.

“So,” Zach says, biting into his charred hot dog, “how’s it been, taking over as Alpha? I always figured it mus