“I’m sorry, Kaiser,” he said, shaking his head. “I knew Gage was going to try and undermine my character. I didn’t think he’d come after you, too.”I shrugged. “I’d rather he’d say it to my face,” I replied. That much was true. At least I’ve always known Gage was a bit of a brat. If he treated his own sons poorly, well… Going after his brother or nephew just seemed like par for the course.“Still.” He sighed heavily. “At least that’s done. When do you want to return to Texas?”“As soon as possible. Project Night Moon is still running around, and Remus can’t handle that entire organization on his own.”My father nodded. “I’ll arrange the jet to take us back, then,” he replied, already fishing his phone out of his pocket. “I’ll send you the details as soon as it’s coordinated.”I raised a brow. “Us? Even after Gage just pulled this stunt? Are you sure you shouldn’t stay here?”The older alpha snorted. “Gage can suck a lemon,” he grunted. “I’ve put a few fail-safes in place over the past

A few hours later, we were boarding the private jet. Claire got Bella situated while I got our bags put up overhead, handing over Bella’s stuffed toy as soon as she sat down. Claire gave me a tired smile as she sat down next to Bella, opening the window blind for her to look out, even if there wasn’t much to see on the tarmac.“Are you okay?” I asked, frowning slightly as I sat down across from her.Claire tore her gaze away from Bella and nodded. “Mhm. It’s been a crazy few days.” She shrugged. “Besides, even shifters don’t heal overnight, not from something like this. If it makes you feel any better, I feel better than I did the first time I had the battery changed in my pacemaker.” She paused thoughtfully. “Or, at the very least, I don’t feel as taken off guard by it.”I hated to admit it, but that did make me feel a little better. “I’m sorry you weren’t able to just rest.” I sighed, certain that dragging Claire halfway around the world hadn’t done her any favors in the healing dep

“Anyway, her family was one of them, and we became fast friends. As you can imagine, there were several other pups my age in the pack, but as my father’s only son — an only child — and an alpha, several of them were…well, not terribly keen on being friendly. Having grown up elsewhere, Sarah never had reservations. She’d put me in my place if she needed to. She might have been the only one who did.“We stayed friends all through the years of school, and the moment I turned eighteen — I was two months younger than she was — I knew. She showed up for my surprise party, and I knew the moment I laid eyes on her. Sarah had always held a special place in my heart, but at that moment, I knew exactly why. I felt like I was the moon, and she was the Earth — no, she was the sun. She was the center of my…” He cut himself off, shaking his head.I frowned, not liking that look on his face. “What happened to her?”Nic gave himself a shake and looked back at me, the sad smile replacing the distant lo