[The First Shift] SIERRA “Okay, you’ve twisted my arm,” I said. “Although I don’t think I’m a fan of having my bones break and rearrange. I remember when I was five, I fell from a tree in our backyard and sprained my ankle. My mother rushed me to the hospital. The doctor told her it was only a sprain, but I remember the pain as if I’d broken my foot. It was the most excruciating pain.” “I wish I could tell you this won’t be worse, Sierra. When we shift into our wolves, our bodies change to accommodate the shift. You’re human, so I expect it will hurt even more for you,” Sasha informed me. How in the hell could she keep a straight face and tell me something like that? “I will regret this—” “Think of it this way,” she interrupted me with a kind smile, taking my hand in hers. “Doing this will save your mate and your pack.” We stayed silent for a while, and I welcomed the solitude to think about this. Although Sasha was right, doing this could help me save Sebastian and our pack. I

[Answers, Not Excuses I] SEBASTIAN “Dammit!” I grunted, banging my fists on the table. It shuddered under the blow. One hour of sifting through these dusty ass files, folder after folder, and I was no closer to finding the information I sought about Owen. I searched every folder with the initials O and B. Yet I found nothing. How was that possible? It was as if he had never been a member of this pack. How could that be? How could a guy have lived, worked, and socialized in my pack for five years, and there be no documentation on him? What was I missing? Five folders of files on pack members and his weren’t among them. I at least expected to find his medical records, considering he had to undergo a series of tests, including a full medical checkup, a mental evaluation, and a physical inspection. This was where my aggravation had gotten worse. Two days ago, I called Dr. Howard and asked for a copy of Owen’s records that he should have on file. Do you know what he told me, and I quo

[Madam Elsbeth] ZAIDEN It had been days since that altercation with my father, and somehow I kept a straight face whenever I sat in his presence. The man was a menace—cruel and unstable. How had I not noticed that before? The gods above knew I couldn’t wait to make him pay. Knock, knock, knock. “Prince Zaiden, it’s Princess Cassidy.” Her soothing voice wafted to my ears. I jerked upright at the sound of her voice and skidded toward the door, yanked it open and tugged her into the room. Since my father suspected her father was at the castle for another reason than our wedding, I had been trying to avoid them at all costs. She staggered forward and would have fallen flat on her face if I had released her hand. “What are you doing?” Princess Cassidy asked. Her brows furrowed together when she noticed the state of my chambers—dark and unkempt. “Zaiden, what’s going on?” I locked the door, then dragged her toward the parlor, and turned on the television to drown out the sound. My act

[A Hunch] SEBASTIAN A rush of relief swept over me as we drove home. Even if we didn’t find the hunters this time, the pups were safe, and back home with their parents. It was more than I could have ever hoped. I believed it would take some time to figure out which pack the remains belonged to and if they had any living kin. Overall, I’d say it was a successful day. “Alpha, not to dampen the mood, but do you think we found all their hidey-holes? I mean, if they had one under their house, wouldn’t it be safe to say they would have more?” asked Jack, glancing between the road and me in the rearview mirror. “According to the stories told by my parents and other families in the pack, these hunters have been around for as long as we have.” “I won’t put it past them.” The strangeness of it all was that since we left the farm, a nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach kept telling me we had forgotten someone. But who? My men were here, and the kids should be safe with their families. So

[The Results] SEBASTIAN Bryanna’s gaze flickered from face to face, waiting for my response. Her brows furrowed, and her lips pressed together. “Alpha Sebastian?” My eyes darted to meet hers, unsure of what to say. What could I say? I permitted Grace to adopt Bryanna because she had no family in the pack. What was there to say now her real mother was back in her life? I wanted to ease her mind a little, but nothing I could say would serve either of them. “Bryanna, I’m not sure what else I can say besides I’m sorry,” I stated. “I authorized Grace and her mate to adopt you because I was under the impression your parents had died when I accepted you into my pack. Thus, giving you a second chance at a family and a home.” “But my mom is not dead,” Bryanna retorted. “She’s right here.” “Yes, and I understand you want nothing more than to pick up where you left off, but what about Grace? What about Davidson? They’ve been there for you all along. Do you not care how they would feel?” “