They buried Fallon in the forest. Liam was half expecting Nell’s kinfolk to materialise but they never did. Simon seemed upset, too. He even offered up that if he’d suspected what Olivia was doing he would have put a stop to it. As to whether he would have told someone how dangerous, how truly malicious she was, he supposed he would never know.He looked across at Nell and was proud of her for keeping composed, though her eyes were red and everyone who knew her must be aware how devastated she was. His own grief was constant. Maybe they could talk about it later. Just for one day the pack could take care of itself.But his hours of reflection weren’t to be, given the precipitate arrival of Alpha Warren and his daughter. She had brought enough suitcases to sustain a whole herd of she-wolves. That was the kind of Luna he despised, only after the trappings. Though, to be fair, she’d brought most, if not all, of them herself.To make matters worse he was then persuaded to have a joint mat

Robin was arguing with his uncle, a rare occurrence. He wanted to meet Nell and insisted it would do no harm to materialise in the forest and wait for her to join them there. This was one family reunion he believed was long overdue.“Electra wouldn’t like it.”“That’s not mother’s name, any more than Marlon is yours,” he huffed.“Admit it. You’re curious to see this werewolf she’s with.”“Maybe I am. But he’s not invited this time.”“You were unwise to give her your real name, Robin.”“I’m fed up with secrets. Why won’t you tell me where Electra is?”Uncle Melas frowned. “Are you saying you don’t know? When I have it on good authority you visited her when you were meant to be developing your powers.”He sighed. “I was combining both tasks. At least, I was hoping to.”“Freeing her isn’t an option, my boy. It was my sister’s choice to go there. Let’s not be frivolous about this.”“I’m not,” Robin insisted. “I just thought it would be easier to do this now. After the pups come, it might

Sheriff Bostock rang in person to inform the Alpha there was a crisis. Unfortunately, he spoke to Simon, who didn’t see fit to pass on the message until an hour later. He claimed it had slipped his mind.“Rae’s been taken hostage and you forgot?”“He didn’t mention any names, just said ‘Luna’.”“So Nell’s expendable, is she?”Liam decided it was not the time to be arguing with his twin. He mind linked Jack and soon they were on their way to the mall, in the heart of human territory.“Try not to worry, Alpha,” his Beta said.“I was away from the office for five minutes. Trust him to fuck up.”“Should you be discussing this with me?”“It’s not as if I didn’t pass him in the corridor. He was whistling, undaunted that he’d persuaded Aunt Deborah to answer the phone. I’m surprised he didn’t try and claim it was her who failed to inform us both.”“Alpha Liam, please don’t make me privy to this.”“Why? Are you going to broadcast my concerns during training? I didn’t think so. Sorry, Jack. I’

Nell had already spotted the sheriff, crouching down behind a mannequin with a full skirt. His gun was still holstered and she guessed he didn’t want the situation to escalate.Her sister now turned those baby blues on her, though she seemed at a loss what to say, other than, “Stay out of this, El.”“You don’t really mean that.”She wondered if it was worth mentioning that this was the pack’s other Luna and decided against it. Things had ended badly with Simon, and Liv hated it when things didn’t go her way. Quite how she had managed to escape lock-up was a matter for another time.Generously, she supposed Sheriff Bostock couldn’t be everywhere at once. And now this.“I’m warning you.”Nell tried again. “Why don’t we talk about this like two rational people?”“Says the hybrid elf stroke werewolf who’s expecting an Alpha’s pups.”There were oohs and ahs at that. She even spotted a local journalist writing frantically in a spiral-bound notepad.“Don’t do this,” she pleaded. “Not in fron

Nell was dreaming that Josh was Sheriff Bostock’s new deputy and she was in the lock-up accused of being an elf. She woke in the passenger seat of a car which was being driven by her ex. Dimly, then, she remembered the cab ride to his hotel, their overnight stay and now this, a long haul trip to the Sunshine State. Josh hadn’t just hired the car, he’d paid cash for it, and she couldn’t help wondering if he’d gone on a crime spree before. “Drug must be wearing off,” he said, glancing sideways at her. “Please tell me you’re kidding?” She eased her aching bones into a more comfortable position, surprised to find a pillow on the seat. It must have slipped as she dozed. Josh wasn’t totally heartless then, just selfish and mostly mean. “Yeah, I lied. Those pups will earn me a packet, enough to fund our fresh start at any rate.” Nell supposed that was something. He didn’t want to hurt her offspring. “It won’t work,” she told him. “Liv stabbed the Alpha. Simon won’t pay, other than to h