NORA POV “Alpha and Luna,” the pilot’s voice blares through the speakers of the brand new private jet. Xander sold Willowa’s old one the first chance he got and replaced it with a newer model. “We are making our final descent and need you to buckle.” Following his instructions, I buckle quickly before Xander’s fingers lace through mine. Electrifying me with his touch. “Are you ready to be home?” It’s been three days since our time in the jeep, and our departure from Willowa couldn’t come soon enough. Not that the people are not nice, but being there, in the same place Cain held me, gave me the heebie jeebies. “Yes.” I look out at the clouds, watching as the plane finds its way closer to the ground. “I feel bad for leaving Fletcher behind though…he looked like a kicked puppy when you told him he couldn’t come back with us.” “I know,” Xander sighs, pinching his nose. “But I need him to be less focused on Charity and more focused on his Beta duties right now.” “And he won’t do that

NORA POV The dark abyss and peaceful silence of sleep suddenly shift. The surrounding space swirling and reshaping into something new. As my subconscious twist and turns, new features reappear. Spinning around, I watch as the space becomes more defined and recognizable. A crib along one wall, and a rocking chair along the other. A beautiful white wolf sits in front of me. “Viola?” Her name tumbles from my mouth, my voice slightly distorted still as the images become clearer. A whimper sounds from behind, calling my attention to it. Laying on the ground, lays a black pup. His body is weak and scrawny, barely surviving as it attempts to cling to life. Rushing to his side, my heart breaking as I hear his screams for mercy, for the pain to end. “Help him?” I ask Viola, “please help him!” My words coming out as a shriek. Panic raising my blood pressure as I look at the wolf sitting on her haunches, her eyes watching in interest, head tilted to the side; questioning. In a battle of will

NORA POV “Holy shit, they’re glowing,” Andrew says, breaking the silence of the room. “Thanks, Captain Obvious,” Xander growls, not in the mood for the nonsense. “What does it mean?” “That I cannot answer,” Elle breaks into the conversation, stepping forward to look me over with her mismatched eyes. “But I think our marks are a clue.” She pulls back her collar, revealing a triple moon with two paws sitting in the full moon, and three stars sitting in the far right corner. “Theirs too,” she points to Andrew and Theo, but her focus doesn’t move from me, her stare fixed. Avoiding the questions, I am sure she has. I wander to Theo, who beams with pride as he reveals the tattoo like mark on his collarbone. “It’s beautiful.” I remark, looking between the pair, but don’t comment on how it’s not the typical mark meant for a Beta. “That’s not the mark a pack Beta gets, ” Xander says, peering down from behind my back. “Thanks, Captain Obvious,” Andrew returns, making Damon snort in amusem

XANDER POV “Well, don’t you look like a Dapper Dan,” a teasing voice comes from behind, and for the first time in days I relax. Turning, I grin at my Beta, happy to have him home. “I thought you would not make it back in time.” I walk up, hugging him in his lavender suit. My own a paler, dusty purple. Charity picked the color specifically because it matches Nora’s dress. The young Gamma has been running around like a chicken with her head cut off over the last few days. The five foot five general running the rest of us into the ground, except for my beautiful Wildflower. Elle and Charity taking as much off her plate as they can so they can rest with the pregnancy. “Sorry, I couldn’t make it back for Theo and Andrew’s ceremony,” he sighs, his body tensing, telling me the detour errand I sent him on proved fruitless. The Beta’s ceremony was a day and a half ago, and Fletcher was the only one in our close circle not present. “But heaven and hell would not stop me from being here for

CHARITY POV Paramore blares through the speakers of my stereo, my head resting against my favorite fuzzy pillow. I try to stop my thoughts from wandering to where they shouldn’t. To who they shouldn’t. A growl of frustration leaving my lips as Summer, my meddlesome wolf, pushes their faces into my mind. She feels no shame about wanting Matt and Fletcher equally. The idea puritanically sinful and thrilling. Wrong. Wrong. So very wrong. People don’t have two mates, and people shouldn’t want more than one. Maybe I am defective? What’s wrong that I cannot pick one and accept my choices? But the thought of not having the other makes me sick. My heart physically aches when I try to imagine the possibility. How selfish am I? They’re both waiting around for me to decide. To choose between them, how the hell am I supposed to do that? ‘We don’t,’ Summer drones on for the millionth time. ‘Making them share me isn’t fair, Summer!’ The argument flowing like a memorized script. ‘They need to fo