It was the day of their departure. Kiera woke up feeling refreshed. She had managed to put Mikael aside in her mind and was eagerly looking forward to the move. Their plan was that they wouldn't return to the city but would rent a bungalow in a coastal town that neither of them had any connections to. That would make it harder for Mikael and his group to follow Kane, especially since he would have to buy a plane ticket to visit them if that was what he planned on doing. It would be safer and they'd be in a more sunny area. It would still be cold and swimming would be virtually impossible, but the view was allegedly lovely. Kane showed her the pamphlets.They had their last dinner. Calling it that was wrong but that was what it felt like. Simone made her favorite—beef tenderloin with rosemary roasted potatoes—and it was simply the most delicious meal that she had ever had. The glass of red wine calmed and warmed her. Kane was better and recuperating well. There wasn’t much to complai

Howling. It sounded like howling. While Kiera was trying to make sense of what she was hearing, Simone rushed out carrying an axe that Kiera had never seen before. Simone looked at her with wide eyes before opening her mouth. "Stand away from that door!"She did as she was told. "What's going on?"Kane's door opened. He limped out and glanced at both of them. There was sweat trickling down his face, which she found odd because it wasn't that hot inside the house. Was he feverish? "Ma, are you ready?""Ready as ever," Simone said, holding the handle of the axe with both hands. "Don't you dare try to shift. I can take them.""You haven't done this in a long time," he argued. "I don't want you to get hurt. I'm well. I can shift, nothing's going to happen.""Who're you trying to fool?" she asked. "Look at yourself. You're sweating all over the place. You're not ready. Don't force it, Kane. I mean it."He sniffed the air. "What's that smell?""They're close," Simone said. "Kiera, I want

The silence in the cabin was so thick it could be cut with a knife. They were waiting for something, perhaps for Kiera to change her mind. She wouldn't. She swore to herself that she would see it through and that was what she intended to do. She would keep her word. It was ridiculous how they always underestimated her. She hated that she couldn't be taken seriously for once. Kane had his hands on his hips and was staring at the floor. Simone was still in the kitchen. Her tears had dried on her cheeks. Her face felt dry. Nobody wanted to be the first to break the silence. She knew that they would never accept what she said but something had to be done. She couldn't let everyone dictate her life. When did she take control? It was her life and she had to decide what she wanted or didn't want to do. What harm was there in wanting to learn how to defend herself? She was already a part of their world whether she wanted to be in it or not. After they killed Mikael's group, what guaranteed

A few days went by and Kiera made a decision. She would not touch on the matter of Kane with Simone again. It was far too awkward for all of them involved and expecting Simone to give her concrete answers had been unfair. She put her in a complicated position and promised herself that she wouldn’t do it again. Kiera felt well enough to start her training. She started with the basics, as Simone called them. Simone wanted her to build strength in her limbs so she used Kane’s weightlifting set and punching bag. It would take her months to gain muscle mass according to Simone but she had to start somewhere. She remembered how heavy the werewolf felt when it attacked her and so she’d need to get used to the weights. Kane called every other night and assured them that he was fine. It was awkward, talking to him. He was oblivious to the conversation she and Simone had so he spoke to them as if nothing was amiss. Her cheeks reddened every time Simone wordlessly handed her the phone. It wa

Kiera throws the axe. It hit the spot like she knew it would. A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she sauntered toward the tree to pull it out and try again. Over the weeks, she had been getting better and better at it. She never failed now. She was better than ever, even Kane admitted that he was stunned by her progress. She was proud of herself. Actually, pride wasn’t a big enough word. She felt ready and realized how unready she had been. It was strange and mesmerizing how her body changed with training and exercise. If someone had told her two months ago that she would be hurling axes at trees and lifting thirty kilograms easily, she wouldn’t have believed it. Another thing that stunned her was we how quickly she was picking up the training. Kane was hard on her. He didn’t take it easy on her, not even when she was down on the floor. He said that a werewolf would never take it easy on her, and sometimes she would cry with frustration and despair when she felt tra