Silvia POV We stare at the pages before us. Luka has drawn us. Me and Fulvio. I look up and see the Witch--Esme--watching me with a smile. "I like your piercings," she says. I want to fall into bed and sleep for five years. My feet are still bleeding. I'm in a ripped and bloody pink waitress uniform. I've been attacked by the biggest wolf I've ever seen. Then rescued by another biggest wolf I've ever seen. And discovered my downstairs neighbour is a seer and his granny is a Witch. The same Witch who was at my Naming. Who is now complimenting me on my piercings. "Thanks," I say as she continues to grin at me. "I can't wait to find out how you're using your precious gift," she says. My precious gift! If my feet weren't so damned sore I'd run over there and ... I look down. My feet are still bleeding! I look behind me and see that I have left bloody foot prints in Luka's apartment. I look at his mom who has gone f

Vuko POV That night I llie in bed and I stare up at the ceiling. It should be simple. Frey tells me that he knows where Silvia is. I go to fetch her. Happily ever after. The end. But it's not. I'm now Alpha of the pack responsible for her banishment. Oh, and she's been banished. But more confusing even is that tonight I feel like I saw Ana for the first time. Now I can't get her out of my mind. Ana is smart and funny. She challenges me. She's caring. She has incredible strength and agility--I have seen her run. I have seen her wolf, Akira, run. I've always known all of this. But now I have also seen that she is beautiful by any measure. She has the pale blue-tinged skin of all of her pack. Huge green eyes framed with thick black lashes. That froth of white hair around her head like river foam. Now I have seen her as female, with curves and smells that are intoxicating ... I groan and rubbed my fists in my eyes. Stop! I told my

Silvia POV Over the next week I decide Esme is the worst teacher I've ever had. And I didn't like any of my teachers back in the Wildlands. Now I've matured and suffered and I can see that maybe I wasn't the easiest student to teach, blah blah blah. The truth is I prefer to learn on my own. Since I was a pup I would grit my teeth and go completely rigid whenever an adult tried to make me do something I didn't want to do. Then when Fer announced herself at my Naming, I realised I was not the only one digging in her heels. If I'm obstinate then Fer is impossible. I like Esme. She's funny. I love the way her bracelets jangle when she moves (not silver, gold! She says 'moon gold' which I assume is a metaphor). I love the way she can go from sitting with her feet up to standing in full warrior stance. I asked her where she learned her fighting techniques --mostly to distract her from trying to teach me---and she said from the wind. I really can't

Silvia POV Esme had called us the apex predators. But looking around the Diner at 11pm on a Thursday night with the rain falling outside and me, Fulvio and Esme standing anxiously waiting, I don't feel like an apex anything. Luka had begged to be allowed to come with us but in this Esme and Valerie had been in agreement. Absolutely not! Not until we knew what we were dealing with. The night sky is cloudy, covering the crescent moon. I wonder if my plan wil work. I pray to the Goddess that it will. And then I prayed that it won't. What will I be starting? Cook is standing in a corner of the kitchen, facing the wall and flipping imaginary burgers on an imaginary grill. This was Esme's contribution. She enchanted Cook to think it was just another night at the Diner, flipping burgers. He's going to be surprised though when the enchantment wears off and he's not drunk. That's how he ends all his nights. His liver will thank us. I'm

Silvia POV I spoke to an entire roomful (pack?) of Rogues! Me! I stood up there and words came out and then I asked a really simple question--could we work together as a pack?--and the next thing everyone was talking at once. Not arguing. Talking! Every one of them thought it was a fantastic idea to work together as a pack! I'm still shaking. I don't even know where all that came from. The salmagundi has run out so Esme re-enchants Cook to do something more useful and he starts frying up some chips. He's still looking the happiest I've ever seen him. His chips are super greasy but if you add enough salt and vinegar they're pretty good. Then I think that there's a lot of talking but maybe it's too many at once. So I suggest that everyone introduces themselves. That turns out to be another fantastic idea. It's my night. It's like I can't do anything wrong. There's Graydon Airwolf of course. He's the oldest. There are many others from the Wildlands and a few, like the Aurorawolves, M