It wasn’t until Byron leapt on me and I fell hard on my back that I realized what was happening. I shifted instantly; my wolf already prepared. This is what I’d been trained for. This is something I knew and understood. Attack. Fight. Defend. I ignored the pain from my fall and twisted my body, eventually getting a decent enough hit to Byron’s underbelly to make him jump back. He landed lopsided and scrambled to gain his balance again. It was only a few seconds, but it was enough for me to get to my feet and prepare for the second attack.  It never came. Byron’s wolfish eyes met mine and he stilled. It was only then that I realized he hadn’t made a sound the entire attack. His lip wasn’t curled back the way mine was. His muscles weren’t tensed. In fact, he looked almost at peace. This unnerved me.  He’s not your friend, Natalia. His thoughts came so clearly to me.  Because yo

Doc hurried upstairs to retrieve the man I’d heard so much about. I didn’t know what made me more uncomfortable; Hugo walking home when Redclaw could be stalking for him at the very moment or knowing the man who convinced my mother to betray her pack and the Elites was right above my head. I tensed as the stairs creaked. It was almost dramatic, how his feet appeared, then his legs, then his torso, and finally his face. He was a broad man, every inch of him screaming Alpha. Equal. This was the silent confirmation. He was my equal. He was an alpha. An alpha without a pack. When he stepped into the living room and looked up, his face paled. It was such an odd sight to see. His face didn’t look like it drained of color very often. I watched him with unease. Doc and Cass stepped into the hall, leaving me alone with this man. He took a step towards me and I took a step back, my lip pulling in a snarl. He put his hands up, realizing his mistake, and nodded affirmingly. “You’re Natalia.” He

The rogues had recruits come in soon after the fight had died down. The elders ended up trading places with my youths, having their wrists and ankles bound. My pack didn’t make a move towards me, but I could see they wanted to. I hadn’t moved from my place on the floor, cradling Hugo’s head in my lap. He hadn’t moved since the injection, but his breathing had gotten stronger. I could see the wound already working to heal. Whether or not he made it, my blood was a natural remedy for his wounds. Byron’s youths took seats on the stairs, watching the rogues warily. They weren’t bound, since they hadn’t made a move to attack. I wanted to know what he was thinking, but I couldn’t bring myself to ask. I’d come too far from the girl he thought I was, there was no going back.  From the corner of my eye, I saw the rogues ease into the sofas. All except Doc, who sat near me, and my father, who’d taken to guarding the Redc

Hugo prepared to pounce again, steady and stealth. As little experience he had with this form, it came so naturally to him. I might have admired it, if he weren’t about to attack Byron. I snapped myself out of my daze, my instincts screaming to move. Move where? This wasn’t my fight. Hugo had challenged Byron for the pack. For me. This wasn’t the human; this was the wolf. Pure wolf instinct. Doc had said not to engage. Maybe engaging is what had prolonged Hugo’s conscious state. He was supposed to have passed out by now, but then again, he was not the average wolf. He was an Alpha.  I wasn’t even sure that was possible, but everything about the midnight wolf told me otherwise. I watched his body tense, but just before he jumped, he slumped to the side with a whimper. Byron’s ears perked up, not understanding. The midnight wolf was Hugo again, and Hugo was unconscious. The episode was over. It took us all several seco