MiaHow did I know that? I could even remember the taste of jam made from alpine strawberries picked under the summer sun’s warmth. That was an awful lot of information for someone who didn’t know her own name or where she came from. Wait. Alpine strawberries.“Alpine means mountains, doesn’t it?” I asked the man, Liam—must be nice to know your own name.“Yes, why?” He bent and tested the water with his fingers. “Perfect.” He picked up a wooden box and opened it. “These are the salts that the alpha was talking about. They are good for aches and pains. The healer makes them.”Alpha? Healer? They weren’t terms I expected to be hearing, but just because I could say what kind jam I liked didn’t mean I remembered all the words I knew. I decided not to ask. For the moment. “Oh, I just was thinking of alpine strawberries made into jam and thought maybe I came from the mountains somewhere.”“Could be.” He stood up. “I don’t want to leave you alone while you bathe. Because you were dizzy, were

I-m beyond confused, but okay.” Squeezing my eyes tight closed, I looked deep within myself, searching for what they claimed was inside me.All right, wolf. If you’re in there…can you speak to me? Everything is all topsy-turvy and makes no sense, but if you are there, and if you can, will you give me a sign?I opened my eyes. The room was not pitch dark; the fog outside the window seemed to glow and gave me enough light to see Dan’s face in front of me. “It’s not working. Maybe we should go to sleep? And figure it out in the morning.” That had, after all, been their suggestion to start with.“You’re so close. If you give me permission, I will ask my wolf to try to reach her.”“Let him, little female.” Liam nuzzled the side of my neck. “Usually wolves only communicate with one another once mating has taken place, and we’re not there yet. Alphas can do things the rest of us can’t.”They weren’t mated yet? They didn’t mean I—no. They couldn’t mean I was their mate, too. But I needed out o

Mia It had been a strange night, and that was my only excuse for not hearing what the alpha said the first time. “I accept.”“Fine.” The alpha kissed me again and then leaned back with a smile lifting the corners of his lips. “When the fog lifts, we will find your friends and tell them to enjoy the rest of their trip then return home without you. We will send a message along for Tal and Selin with them.”“You make it sound so simple.”He shrugged. “It is if we want it to be.”I locked my arms around his neck. “I so want it to be because nothing about getting here was.”I’d felt safe and warm every time they touched me, but now, with two of us naked and the third dropping his pants off the side of the bed, my heart was pounding so loud, it echoed in my ears. Straddling Dan’s lap, I might have better control, but his length would still extend so far into me, I wasn’t sure I had enough space for it. But instead of being scared, I was excited. The Fates wouldn’t give me a mate I couldn’t

Mia “They can’t all be dead.” Everything in me insisted it was impossible. My friends, my family…my pack. Gone, all gone.Liam made yet another circuit of the village, disappearing into each small home as he searched for any living person. Anyone who might be too sick to respond to our calls.We’d already checked, of course. Here and in the outlying homes. Some were empty, their inhabitants now residents of the new mounds in the cemetery. Headstones were not our tradition, nor any marking of who lay in each mound. We sought to return to the earth without marking her more than necessary. The names of those who died were added to the memories of the bards of each generation, to be recited every Samhain at the bonfire.They were not trained, these bards, or rather not taught the tales they imparted. Most did have some lessons in elocution, in singing, and of course in playing instruments. But the actual information, the lists of names of those gone before, the heroic tales, the tragedie

MiaWe had all our camping gear but not much food left. After all, we’d expected to return to a fully stocked kitchen—and probably another feast in our honor. Instead, we’d faced a horror beyond imagining. If it had been just me, if I had not had Liam with me, I think I’d have given up. For shifters, pack was everything. Family, friends, support system. Sometimes someone married into another pack, but the connection formed by that mating would serve to unite the two, like extended family.Our pack had been rather isolated, which was one of the reasons we’d intended to visit others. Unfortunately, we’d been all about being alone together and in love and never made it that far. Now…well, now we had a whole slew of problems that innocent honeymoon couples did not. Or at least did not know they did. While our families were dying, we were enjoying romantic sunsets and frolicking four-legged. Making love. My stomach churned as I tried not to chant over and over in my head that I should have