“Whoa, what? No. You two have met Jasper before.” I hold hands up, but Katie and Kara are already past me, giggling and batting their eyes at Jasper, who has an arm around each of their waists. “Keller, I would remember meeting my mate.” Katie slides her hand up Jasper’s shirt and lets it rest on his chest. “Yeah, Kel, I’ve definitely never met your friends here. You’ve been holding out on me.” Jasper brushes a stray hair out of Kara’s eyes and admires her. “That dress goes perfectly with your gorgeous blue eyes, Darlin’.” “Katie, the last time I saw you, you said my friends were there. It would only have been Jasper or Sam. No one else comes home with me like that.” I run my fingers over my forehead out of frustration. “Oh, I didn’t mean your human friends. I was talking about the drugs.” She rolls her eyes at me and turns back to Jasper. “No. Ladies, there must be a mistake. Jasper isn’t… one of… us.” I try to reason with them, but it’s too late. They are in their own little wo
After a quick conversation with the manager, I point out my friends at the bar. He says he will take care of them and shows me the door to his office where he is going to bring them. I step outside and try to make my way to the alley as nonchalantly as possible. There isn’t anyone there. I don’t know why the Hell I need to meet Tyree’s friends in the alley, but if Estelle trusts him, I should as well. I pace back and forth in the dark alley that smells like piss and vomit until I sense a change in the air. The scent of ozone fills my nose, making me gag. Rocky, who has been unusually quiet with all the commotion, becomes restless. Out of nowhere, he says the most terrifying thing he’s ever said. “The Reaper is coming.” “What the fuck? Rocky, what are you talking about?” I back up against the side of the building and look around, trying to cover my nose from the potent scents building up around me. A searing heat and bright light forces me to close my eyes and turn my head. My heart
Delilah breezes ahead of us, looking around the decor. She comes back to collect James so she can show him an old photograph of someone she knows. “Um, how old is she?” I ask Reggie and Marco. “Good question. No real appropriate answer.” Reggie takes a sip of champagne and pulls up an image on his phone. “We know she’s over a hundred years old, but not older than two hundred. She says Claude Monet was her stepfather. He painted her mother in the mid-eighteen hundreds, but there are no images of Delilah. She seems to be fuzzy on dates until the nineteen hundreds.” “That’s definitely Lady Camille. She got more gray hair now, though.” Marco smiles at the image. “Come on. Let’s help these girls.” Estelle peeks out of the manager’s office and waves to me, making my brain flip into work mode. “That’s our cue. Marco, Estelle, is a veterinarian, but she’s a sigma expert. She knows as much about them as my father or me, maybe even more. She treated and detoxed the twins when I originally p
James approaches Kara, holding both hands up so she can see the piece of metal and the box with buttons. “Okay, Kara. I’m going to slide this metal between the collar and your skin. It might be tight, but I’m not trying to choke you. It will just be for a few seconds, okay?” “What is that?” She points to the metal. James looks at Reggie, who shrugs. “No one will ever believe it. Might as well tell them.” “This is a piece of Achilles’ battle armor. Have you ever heard of him?” James turns the metal over in his fingers and gives Kara a gentle smile, as if he is trying to convince a child. “That’s the sound Katie makes when she sneezes.” Kara turns serious, forgetting about the metal piece. “It’s true. It sounds just like me.” Katie echoes her sister’s words with a nod. “What… Achilles?” James tilts his head. I think he’s starting to understand the twin’s intelligence level now. I cross my arms and observe the interaction, amused. “Don’t keep saying it, Mister James.” Kara puts h
I walk Delilah, James, and Marco out to the alley so they can get home the same way they arrived. “Marco, you have five minutes!” Delilah opens a portal, creating a cold suction feeling in the alley. “Keller Joseph Marshall, it was a pleasure to meet you. We will meet again soon.” James gives me a brief salute and turns his attention back to Delilah. He gives her a little twirl, making her clothing turn back to the wool coat she was wearing when she originally came through the portal. He kisses her hand before they step through together. “Marco, um, real quick, before you go. Bianca. The Luna Regent mentioned she could be Zara’s sister, but she didn’t say it like, you know, one hundred percent outright.” I choose my words carefully so it doesn’t sound like an accusation. “Everyone from your pack seems to adore her just as much as the next person, which is awesome. I’m glad she has an excellent support system… but, uh, so I was just wondering, who are her parents exactly? Is she Za
“What do you mean ‘Jasper has sigmas for mates’?” Mom puts her hands on her hips and gives me a dangerous glare. “And why are you using the plural here, Keller Joseph?”“At the club last night, Jasper and I were at the bar talking and the sigma twins we brokered to Darius Cirillo stopped to say hello… and uh… they met Jasper and… well, you know how that goes… they’re all mates.” I try not to cringe under Dad’s scowl.“Do you understand how dangerous this is, Keller?” Dad snarls on the verge of losing his temper. “For Jasper, for those girls, and even for us.”I hold my hands up in surrender. I thought after a good night’s sleep, the news would go over better in the morning after breakfast, but I was wrong. “Would it make you feel better if I told you the Regents’ pack is helping take care of it?”“THE REGENTS MET YOU IN A BURLESQUE BAR?!!” Mom shrieks and grabs her hair into fists. Dad cringes at her exclamation and holds his finger up to his lips, but it’s too late. Dillon wakes up a
Monday morning, I pull up to the science lab building, get out, and open Zara’s door for her. She pauses and looks into the back seat towards Dillon’s car seat. “Maybe I should stay home today.”“Zara, come on, we talked about balance. Going to class is part of that, right?” I pull her light pink beanie over her ears and give her a little kiss. “Dillon and I will be fine for a few hours on our own. Jasper will pick you up from the library at two p.m. That will give you time with Dillon and time to get a nap before dinner. Okay?”She nods with a little pout. “I know you’re right. I just… I’m worried.”“I get it, Pocket. I felt the same way on Saturday when I went out for Sam’s birthday. You’re going to be fine. When you get home, you can spend time with Dillon, take a nap, and work on homework if you have any.” I take her hand and give her a lunch box. “For now, you need to focus on class and getting your extra calories in. I packed you a grilled chicken sandwich. There are also olives
Dad arrives five minutes before Estelle and Tyree, giving him just enough time to hang up his coat and give Mom a kiss.When the doorbell rings, Mom takes off her apron and answers it. From the kitchen, I hear a low growl. Lily snarls in her deep, raspy voice. “Who are you?”Oh shit. Estelle must have arrived already in her true form. I thought she would wait and remove her glamor once they sat down to have the conversation. I drop my knife and run to the foyer to help prevent an altercation. “Mom, Lily, it’s Estelle. Smell her scent. Dad, you too!”Tyree is standing in a defensive stance in front of Estelle, who is in her true form. Tyree’s eyes flash from dark brown to black and back to brown, trying to hold back his wolf. Mom and Dad are blocking the entryway, preventing them from coming in. Mom and Dad each take a deep breath. Mom’s black eyes fade back to brown, but Avalanche is still close to the surface. “Estelle? Wh-what’s going on. Why do you look like that?”“You need to ch
“Zara, first, I want you to know that your parents loved you. They had no choice when they left you and they never stopped trying to find you and get you back.” Tyree’s tone differs from what I’ve heard from him before. It’s more apologetic and compassionate, like a father trying to make his child understand another point of view. “Tyree, how could I possibly believe that?” Zara holds her hand up to stop him. “They left me on the steps of the pack house. I wasn’t even a week old. They didn’t want me.” “It’s not true, Zara. I promise you it’s not true. Your father’s name is Scott Eklund. Your mother is Sondi. They came here because the Alpha from Emerald Mountain banished them. They were seeking asylum, and it was granted.” Tyree sits back and sighs. “From what I understand, your father attacked the pack’s Beta, trying to defend Sondi. Your mother said she never had a problem with the Beta and barely knew him. Your father had issues with mental illness. He was paranoid and refused to
“First and foremost, thank you all for being here today. I’m going to keep my portion short.” Jasper stands at the podium, now tenured in speaking in front of crowds, looking comfortable to address the room. He pulls out a notecard from his jacket pocket and glances down at it. “There is someone very special I would like to introduce you to. She’s not only the lead scientist for the Sigma Project, she is the mastermind behind the medication that has made this whole thing possible.” Jasper looks into the wings and gives Zara a thumbs up. I feel her take a deep breath under my hands. “This talented woman completed her undergraduate degree and masters in biochemistry, and she’s almost finished with her doctorate all in just over six years. On top of that, she is now the youngest Nobel Prize Laureate ever. In chemistry and in medicine. Friends, she’s the hardest worker in the room, by far the smartest person you will ever meet, an incredible mother, and one of my closest friends. Oh and
“Hey guys, your flight was okay?” Tyree meets us at the doors of the Blood River pack house and ushers us inside. “I know the ride from the airport can be a killer.” “It was great. Thanks, Tyree.” Jasper shakes his hand. “We are all looking forward to this afternoon.” “Uncle Tyree!” Orli runs up to her favorite person and hops to be picked up. “Dillon and I went to kindergarten! I got to show the teacher that I know my alphabet.” “I heard! Did you listen to your teacher?” He holds Orli in his massive arms and gives her a kiss on the cheek. She nods with a shy smile and leans back. “Look at my dress! Daddy says today is special, so I wanted to look pretty. And tomorrow I get to wear my flower girl dress. So I got two pretty dresses to wear.” “Oh, my Goddess.” He smooths down the front of her dusty blue dress. “You are always pretty, baby girl, but this dress makes your eyes look EXTRA blue.” Orli giggles and leans her head on his shoulder, perfectly content to stay with him as lon
The longer Zara takes the sigma serum, the more I notice differences. She isn’t taller or stronger, but some days it seems like it. She handles stress better and doesn’t shy away when she has to speak with people she’s not familiar with like she would have in the past. She almost never has a flight or fight response anymore. It’s refreshing to see her handle life with more confidence and less anxiety and fear. Katie is also doing much better with the new version of the serum than the first one. Instead of putting her on medications, they increase her therapy to once a week. Besides learning how to read with ease, Katie also observes things she never had before. Traffic patterns, the way birds fly together in the sky, the layout of the grocery store, things most people take for granted. She seems to see for the first time. As with all things, with the good comes the bad. Zara starts to have more bad days. A lot more bad days. Mom and Dad take shifts to monitor her while Estelle and
“You’re sure you feel okay?” Zara is already sitting on my lap, but I take her face in my hands and look her in the eye. I look her over and give her a quick peck on the cheek. “You don’t feel warm or anything?” “I feel fine, Keller. I just took the serum fifteen minutes ago.” She covers my hands with hers. “It takes a couple hours for it to get into my system. Right now I’m just exhausted. We intentionally added a light sedative to this version, and it was a later night than I was expecting. If I had known you planned to stay at a hotel instead of going home, I would have packed a bag.” “I’ll know better for next time.” I nuzzle her cheek and settle into the recliner. “You tell me if you feel weird at all. Even a little bit.” “I will, sweetheart.” She leans her head against my shoulder and places her hand on my chest. I slide my hand over hers and interlock our fingers. It makes me smile to feel the ring on her finger. I look at Jasper, who has Katie in his lap as well. He has
“Keller, it’s safe now. It’s taken a few months, but it’s perfect. Estelle and I are sure of it.” Zara hands Orli a piece of banana while she tries to convince me it’s time for her to take what she now calls the sigma serum one point one six. “Zara, I don’t know how many times I can tell you. I’m not okay with it.” I adjust the position of Dillon’s little fork and help him scoop macaroni and cheese onto it. I look up at Zara to see if she’s paying attention. She takes a sip from her glass of juice and sets it down, then places her hands on the counter and drums her fingers impatiently. “Keller-” “Zara.” I feel my mood darken as I glare at her. “Keller, I feel like a broken record. I would be a hypocrite if I said it’s fine for other sigmas, but too dangerous for me.” She wipes Orli’s mouth with a bib and hands her a sippy cup. “We know the women who have met their mates have different body chemistry now. We’ve made adjustments to the sigma serum accordingly. It’s just another leve
I thought it was going to be difficult to get Zara to pull out of the study, but it wasn’t. She was more worried about what could have happened to Orli and Dillon and everyone else she loves and cares about. Two days after the incident, she goes to the lab to speak to the other volunteers to let them know why she has pulled out, but promises them they will still get to see her all the time because she is going to be working directly with Estelle. Katie, on the other hand, won’t be deterred. Even after we explain that she and Zara could have died, she insists she wants to keep going. Jasper is miserable, but puts on a brave face for her. He spends lunch with her every day and comes home to mope. Zara and I try to cheer him up and even help him take care of Mister Happy and Midnight. Mom takes over nanny duty while Katie is away. “Zara, it’s only been a month. Are you sure taking all nine girls all the way to Cozy Up is a good idea?” Jasper stops her from leaving the lab to let the gi
My body feels heavy and Zara’s weight gets pulled off of me, forcing me awake. “What happened? Is she okay?” Someone drained the water out of the tub. Mom has Zara wrapped in a towel, holding her like a baby in her arms. Estelle is next to her, checking Zara’s temperature. “It’s fine, Honey. Her temperature has been normal for an hour. We’re going to put her in bed. I brought you a change of clothes. Come out when you’re dressed.” “Ace is on his way to check on our baby girl.” Estelle lets Mom take Zara out of the room and sits on the edge of the tub. She unfolds a towel and hands it to me. “Are you okay?” “I will be once I know she is.” I wipe my face and chest. “Before she passed out, she said more carrots and less love. Lavender was relaying the message.” Estelle purses her lips and nods. “Yeah. We had talked about that before the study but went with the more potent formulation. I’m going to get a batch of the other one started as soon as I get back to the lab.” “If she’s okay
“Keller will grab Zara. I’ll grab Katie’s top half, just grab her legs. Stop her from kicking if you can.” Les motions how Jasper should try to hold on to Katie. “We’ll take her to the nursery bathroom.” “How do we know who will come out first?” Jasper looks at me and back at Les. Les gives Jasper a sweet smile. “Oh, darling, so innocent. Wolf mentality.” “Wolf mentality?” He looks at me for help. “Wait, how do we know they didn’t turn into wolves? Shift. How do we know they haven’t shifted?” “Their wolves have an advantage to use their senses but stay in human form right now.” Les tugs at her braided ponytail. “They can open doors, push elevator buttons, call for help, things like that.” “Zara is freaking out because her pup is gone. Katie is going to protect Zara to give her a chance to find her baby.” I put my ear to the door. “Katie will make sure danger is out of the way.” “Katie sees Zara as more dominant than she is in the pecking order of your family dynamic. So yes, she