Chapter 3

Mason jumped in first. "She's demanding that Elena hand over the bracelet. She..."

"Did I say I had to have it?"

I cut him off. "I'm trying to find out whether it's rightfully mine. If it is, then it belongs to me. If it isn't, then no one has to give anything back.

"Do you not understand what I'm saying?"

My father was quiet for a moment. "We'll set the moonstone aside for now.

"Tomorrow, we'll take care of your pack registration first."

I looked at him.

I'd been back with this family for four years, yet my registration still listed the pack I'd come from.

I'd pushed for it more than once.

Every time, they put me off, saying it required too much paperwork.

Elena gave a small laugh. "Aurora's been back all this time, and she can finally have her registration transferred to our pack."

I asked her, "What do you mean, finally?"

Her smile froze.

"I'm only happy for you."

"But you said finally. Doesn't that mean you know exactly how long this has been dragged out?

"And do you know why it's been dragged out?"

Elena opened her mouth.

My mother cut her off instantly. "Tomorrow all of us will go with you."

I made her spell it out. "You and Dad and all three of my brothers?"

Lloyd nodded. "Yes. All of us."

William sounded impatient. "It's a registration. Do you have to make such a big deal out of it?"

Mason backed him up. "You left Elena out. She's part of this family too."

Elena pressed her lips together and said nothing.

I glanced at her.

"I don't care whether she comes. We aren't blood. I don't want to put her out.

"Why am I listing everyone by name? Because otherwise, someone will suddenly have a pain here or an ache there, and then their dog will have puppies again."

Elena went another shade paler.

My mother took my hand.

"It won't happen. This time none of us are leaving."

Ten o'clock the next morning.

We got to the pack registry office right on time.

Elena came without being asked.

She said she wanted to see me come home with her own eyes.

I'd told her not to come. She didn't need to put herself out.

But all she had to do was frown, and my family coaxed her into the car anyway.

So I let it go.

The clerk took our documents.

He checked them, then looked up at my mother and asked, "Your file isn't complete. You're missing one proof of kinship. Any reason for that?"

My mother turned to William.

"The house is in your name. Your proof is the one that matters most. How did you forget it?"

William went through his folder in a hurry.

The folder was empty, and his expression changed.

"I left it in Elena's study."

Lloyd shot him a look, then turned to the clerk and asked, "Everyone else's proof is here. Doesn't that establish that we're a family?"

The clerk shook his head.

"The file is incomplete. To register her in your pack, I need proof of kinship from the relative who holds the property.

"And today is the deadline. How could your family wait until the last minute and still not have everything ready?"

Putting on a convincing show of concern, Elena asked, "What happens if she misses the deadline?"

The clerk told her, "If she misses today's deadline, she'll be cast out of the pack and forced to live as a rogue."

Elena's face crumpled as she said, "Aurora, this is my fault.

"I wasn't feeling well last night and William was taking care of me. He must have left it behind."

I looked at her. "Why would it be your fault?"

That stopped her.

"Because last night I..."

I cut her off. "Taking care of you was William's responsibility. He's the one who left the paper behind. What does any of that have to do with you?

"Are you saying it to prove to me that nothing is more important than taking care of you?

"Not even something as urgent as my pack registration?"

William moved her behind him.

"Aurora, your sister isn't as calculating as you think she is."

"Then what was she trying to say?"

"She was blaming herself."

"She never touched the paperwork. You lost it. What is there for her to blame herself for?"

My questions got William worked up.

"Fine. Blame me. Are you satisfied?"

"Sure."

I made a note of the missing document on my phone.

"We'll replace it this afternoon."

Mason turned to leave. "You take every little thing so seriously."

I caught his arm and demanded an answer. "This is my registration. If I don't take it seriously, am I supposed to count on you to do it for me?

"Right. You only take things seriously when they're about Elena."

Nobody answered me.

My father sent the driver back for the document.

We waited twenty minutes in the lobby before Elena's phone rang.

She looked at it and went white.

"Mom, I'm going home."