Chase cursed as he watched Hannah peel out of the driveway, and then she took off like a shot down the main road. That hadn’t gone at all liked he’d hoped it would. All his worst fears had just been realized, and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it.

Trudging back to the clearing, he grabbed his clothes and dressed quickly before heading back to the house, the weight of her reaction crushing his chest and making it difficult to breathe. He walked into the kitchen, where Ty was waiting on him with two glasses of whiskey. He sat down without a word, and grabbing a glass, threw it back, relishing the burn. Too bad shifters had a hard time getting drunk. Maybe with enough dedication, he could manage it. If ever a time called for getting shit faced, this was it.

“What happened?” Ty asked quietly a few moments later.

“What do you think happened?” he replied with a caustic laugh. “I told her what I am. She thought I was fucking with her at first. Like an elaborate joke to break up with her, or some shit. So I shifted to my wolf to show her I was telling the truth.” He scrubbed a hand over his face, remembering the moment she turned and looked at him. “Jesus, Ty. The terror on her face… she was so scared. Of me. I never thought I’d see that look in her eyes, directed my way. She took off running without a word.”

Ty slid the other glass his way, and Chase gratefully accepted it, knocking it back.

“Maybe she just needs some time. This had to be a shock to her. Maybe she’ll come around.”

“Yeah, like Cassie did?” he asked sarcastically.

Ty visibly flinched. “Cassie wasn’t meant for the supernatural world. She wasn’t strong enough. I think Hannah is, and I’ve seen the way she looks at you. She loves you.”

Chase groaned and dropped his head in his hands. “I’m sorry, Ty. I shouldn’t have brought Cassie up like that.”

“It’s okay. Cassie was never my mate. She wasn’t even Jared’s. And I realized a while back I’d stopped loving her a long time ago, well before she died.”

“I still shouldn’t have brought her up. It’s just… I know Hannah loves me. But what if it isn’t enough? Or what if she comes back with conditions like Cassie gave Jared? I don’t think I could handle that.”

“Like I said, I think Hannah is strong enough to handle what you are, I really do. But you should also decide what you can live with and what you can’t. I think you’re strong enough to handle ultimatums if it meant being with her. But would you truly be happy? That’s what you need to think about.”

Chase groaned. “Million dollar question, right there.”

“We’re getting ahead of ourselves, though. It might not come to that. Give her some time. Let her come to grips with the fact that the man she loves can turn into a wolf. That’s got to be a lot to take in for a human who had no idea our kind existed.” Ty frowned thoughtfully. “Maybe one of the girls can talk to her.”

“No. Let’s all give her some space. Besides, when she talks, I want it to be with me,” he replied with a heavy exhale.

Ty slid the whiskey bottle to him before standing up. With a hard clap to his shoulder, Ty silently left the room. Chase poured another glass and tipped it back, going slowly this time to savor the burn.

He didn’t know what the fuck he would do if Hannah couldn’t accept his wolf. Losing her would tear him and his wolf to shreds. He’d watched when Ty and Jared both lost Cassie. Ty had been spiraling, on a short road to hell, and Chase knew he’d need to put his brother down eventually.

That would be his life. A quick descent into madness, and then death.

And if she came back with conditions like Cassie had given Jared… he didn’t think he’d be strong enough to say no. He wanted her too badly, and his soul would wither and die without her. But that wouldn’t be any way to live, either.

His brother, Jared, and Cassie, had all grown up together. Both men loved her, but she chose Jared. When Jared told her he was a grizzly shifter, she hadn’t taken it well. She left and stayed away for a week, but finally came back. She told him she loved him and would be with him, but he could never again talk about what he was in front of her. She didn’t want to see it, hear about it, nothing. The whole Montgomery family were under a gag order to say nothing about their bears.

They tried to make it work, but it couldn’t have been easy on Jared. She rejected half of his essence. It wasn’t like shifters could flip a switch and pretend their other halves didn’t exist. Yeah, the animal was a separate being, with its own thoughts and feelings. But they were still one. Hard to explain to someone who wasn’t a shifter, being separate yet one, but that’s how it was.

When Cassie got pregnant, all hell broke loose. She hated it, didn’t want to be pregnant with an abomination, she said. She started taking foolish risks, hoping to lose the baby, and it ended tragically with a fall from her horse that took her life, along with the baby’s.

Chase didn’t want that to be his and Hannah’s future. He’d lose it, hardcore. He didn’t think he could deny his wolf’s existence, but he knew he’d risk almost anything to keep Hannah.

His wolf whined deep inside of him, curled into a ball with pain radiating off him in waves. He’d lost it when Hannah ran from them in the clearing, frozen in pain, and by the time he let Chase have his human skin back, it was too late to catch her.

And here he was, heaping more pain onto his animal by seriously contemplating denying him for Hannah.

He was such a bastard.

He dropped his head to the counter with a bang, barely feeling the pain. It was nothing compared to the pain ripping his soul to shreds over the thought of losing his mate.

Hannah groaned as she rolled off her bed, finally giving up on sleep as the early morning rays peeked through her curtains. She tossed and turned all night, only managing a few fitful hours of sleep. Her mind refused to rest, going over everything that happened again and again.

She got out of bed and limped to the kitchen, grimacing the whole way. She put on a pot of coffee and took some Tylenol with a glass of water before making her way to the bathroom to shower. She’d done a number on her ankle last night, but it had been hours before she even really began to feel it, too numb from the evening’s events for the pain to penetrate.

She stepped into the shower, letting the hot water soothe her aching muscles as her mind inevitably turned back to the night before. She’d had a lot of time to think things over when she should have been sleeping.

Chase really was a wolf shifter. There was no denying that. She tried to convince herself she’d had a mental breakdown, and there never really was a wolf there at all. She managed it for all of two minutes before she had to face reality.

He really had been a wolf. It was there in his eyes when she finally looked into them. She still wasn’t sure how it was possible, but somehow it was. The fear of his animal was still there, but fascination and awe had quickly taken precedence. Besides, Chase wouldn’t hurt her. If he was even still present when he became the wolf, that is. There were so many things she still didn’t know, so she couldn’t be absolutely positive, but she pretty sure he had been.

There was also overwhelming relief that he wasn’t playing an elaborate joke as a way to humiliate her and break her heart. Everything he said to her had been the truth. He loved her and wanted her forever.

But he’d lied to her. Not just him, but all of them. Parker, Kelsey, Cammie. They all knew, and hadn’t said a word to her. Maybe they weren’t supposed to, maybe they weren’t allowed, but she still felt hurt over it. It was probably irrational, but she couldn’t help it. They were her friends, and they’d said nothing.

This explained Cammie and Angela’s fight, though. Why Cammie had moved so fast she blurred. She was a shifter, too, obviously, and Angela probably was, as well. It also explained Ian’s disapproval. They’d gotten too into their sparring, forgetting Hannah was there, and let their guards drop as they fought.

And looking back with Chase, there were so many tells. His eyes, the growl, weird things he sometimes said that didn’t make sense. She either was exceptionally unobservant, or she deliberately ignored it, not wanting anything to penetrate the happy bubble she was in.

Hannah got out of the shower and quickly dried off and dressed before heading to the kitchen to get a cup of coffee. Her ankle felt a little better, the Tylenol and hot water helping, but she was still limping. She poured a cup and stood on her good leg, resting her hip against the counter as she sipped.

She couldn’t decide what she was going to do. She didn’t know if their world was really one she wanted to be a part of. Supernatural beings surrounding her, day in and day out. Never being able to catch up with them, or hold her own with them. Always being the odd one out.

The doorbell rang, startling Hannah out of her depressing thoughts. She put her cup down and went to the door. She wasn’t ready to see Chase yet, at all, and she dreaded the thought of it being him. Which made the disappointment she felt when she looked through the peephole and saw Parker a little surprising. She fought a sigh, hand hovering over the doorknob. She wasn’t sure she was ready to face any of them, even her best friend, but maybe it was best to get this over with. And maybe she could get some answers from Parker, answers she desperately needed to make up her mind.

She pulled open the door, not saying anything. Parker studied her with relief in her eyes, smiling hesitantly.

“Oh, good, you’re awake. It’s early, but we need to talk. Can I come in?”

This time Hannah let her sigh out as she stepped back and motioned her in. Parker walked over to the couch and sat down, Hannah following slowly and folding herself into the armchair.

“Did Chase send you?”

Parker shook her head, her dark curls bouncing around her shoulders. “No, he wanted us to give you some space to think things through.”

Hannah’s shoulders slumped, but she tried to hide the disappointment that crashed over her. “Oh,” she said lamely as Parker studied her closely.

“He wants to see you, Hannah. He really does. He’s miserable. But he wanted you to have time to come to grips with everything on your own. I don’t really agree with him, but that’s his decision. I came because you’re my friend, and I needed to see how you’re doing.”

“Are we really?” she asked as she twined her fingers together, fighting to keep the hurt she felt from showing.

“What, friends? Of course we are. There were just things I couldn’t tell you. It doesn’t mean I wasn’t your friend. Don’t we all have things we keep to ourselves and don’t tell everyone?”

“Maybe so, but this is big, Parker. It’s not a little thing. Are you like Chase? A shifter?”

“Oh, no. I’m just a human. I mean, I could be… Ty has offered. And I probably will be one day, but I’m not in a hurry.”

Hannah frowned, looking up at Parker. “He offered? You mean, he can make you like he is?”

“You and Chase obviously didn’t get to talk about much of this. Yes, Ty can claim me with a bite, and his bite would make me a wolf shifter. I really want the claiming mark, more than you know, but I’m enjoying my human status for a while longer. But probably not much longer.”

She sat quietly, absorbing that for a moment. “What’s a claiming mark?”

“Chase should really be the one telling you this stuff.” Parker hesitated, studying the frustration on Hannah’s face. “Okay. I know Chase told you you’re his mate. For shifters, it’s permanent, forever, there will never be another woman he’ll look at or want to be with. There are different customs for different shifter cultures, but for wolves, they claim their mates with a bite. It lets the world know they’ve found their mate. And for humans, the bite changes them, gives them a wolf, too.”

Whoa. See, so much she didn’t know. The thought of Chase biting her, putting his mark permanently on her skin, was such a turn on, honestly. But she wasn’t sure she wanted to have a wolf inside her.

“Why haven’t you done it yet?” she asked curiously.

“Well, I was pregnant when Ty first told me about it. It wasn’t possible then. I’m thinking about it more and more, but there’s no rush. And Ty will love me just the same, whether I turn or remain a human forever.”

Hannah couldn’t help wondering if Chase would feel the same way, if she could forgive him for keeping secrets this big.

“Don’t you feel like the odd one out? Like you can’t keep up with them being just a human?”

Parker laughed, “No, never. They’ve never made me feel that way. Being shifters is a huge part of their lives, don’t get me wrong, but it doesn’t rule them. They’re humans more than anything. Humans with better hearing, vision, speed, and strength, who just happen to turn into animals every now and then.”

“Ha! That’s all, huh?” she replied with a reluctant laugh.

“So… are we still friends?” Parker asked, worry in her eyes. “I wasn’t trying to keep secrets, Hannah. But you must see why they don’t go around telling people about their dual natures, and why the people in their lives can’t, either. Only a select few humans know, mostly mates who have been told. And I’m still a human, not truly one of them yet. It wasn’t my secret to tell.”

Hannah took a deep breath, realizing with surprise she did feel a little better, about her friends keeping the truth from her, at least. Parker had a valid point. And although Kelsey was a wolf, and Cammie was most certainly a shifter of some sort, she could understand why they hadn’t let her in on it.

Chase was a different matter altogether, though. There had to have been a point somewhere sooner in their relationship when he could have told her. So she could have all the facts before she gave her heart to him. Although, if she were being completely honest with herself, it probably wouldn’t have changed a thing.

“Yeah, we’re still friends. I wish someone had told me sooner, but I understand why you couldn’t.”

“But you’re still mad at Chase for withholding the info,” Parker said, still studying Hannah. “I get that. Trust me, I do. But don’t be too hard on him, okay? It can’t be easy to tell a human you change into a gigantic wolf sometimes. He was probably scared.”

Hannah nodded thoughtfully, standing as Parker did. She followed her to the door, returning Parker’s hug as they said their goodbyes.

Not bothering to shut the door, Hannah grabbed her keys and purse before heading to her Jeep. She sidestepped some puddles on the ground from the storm they had last night as she placed her stuff in the vehicle and began to remove the soft top.

She was going to go for a drive, let the cool spring air clear her mind, and think about everything some more. Parker had given her a lot to think about.

Once she was done taking the top off, she slipped on the hoodie that was in the back seat and headed out. She drove in the direction of Red Moon, but passed the driveway, cruising down the back road as the wind whipped her hair from its ponytail.

She kept her mind blank, letting the flowing air clear her mind. When she was ready to think about everything again, she felt like she’d been cleansed, not just in her mind, but in her soul.

Okay, what Parker said made sense. She wished Chase hadn’t taken so long to tell her, but she supposed it was understandable. And she thought maybe he had tried to tell her before, the night of Pete’s and the Wendy disaster. It hadn’t been that long ago, but the point was, he’d tried to tell her before they exchanged their I love yous. That was something, at least.

And if she could forgive Parker and the other girls for not telling her, she could forgive Chase, as well.

That decided… now she had to decide how she felt about him being a shifter. She thought hard about it, but finally decided she didn’t think it was a deal breaker.

He was still the same man she’d known and fallen in love with before she knew he had a wolf in his middle. He wouldn’t have hurt her in wolf form, that she was sure of, remembering the look in his brown eyes. Even as a wolf, they’d held the same gleam of affection and devotion Chase’s human eyes held when he looked at her.

Hannah found a driveway and pulled in to turn around, heading back toward town. No, he wouldn’t hurt her. And she’d already decided that him being a wolf wasn’t a deal breaker. She could live with that, could accept it. From what she’d been able to gather, that was a large part of him. And she loved him, every part of him, to distraction. Being a wolf had to come under that heading.

So. Okay. She couldn’t say she loved his wolf, but she loved all of him, so it had to be included. And she didn’t doubt that, given time, she’d be able to say that she loved his wolf, on his own. She wasn’t sure she’d be able to agree to being turned, not this soon at least, but she was okay with who he really was.

This was it. This is when she decided his wolf wasn’t a big deal, and chose him. All parts of him.

As soon as the decision was made, her soul instantly felt lighter, and a smile played on her lips. There was still so much more she needed to know, more they needed to talk about. But for now, she just needed to see him. To be wrapped up in his big strong arms and hear him tell her everything was going to be okay.

A gust of wind blew through the Jeep, pushing a strand of hair in her eyes. She reached up and moved it, gasping when she saw the deer starting to step out of the road on her right. She instinctively turned her wheel to the left, hoping to avoid them, but quickly realized her mistake. A car was coming over the hill in front of her. Deer to her right, car in front, and she had no choice but to go further left. She yanked the wheel, terror filling her as the Jeep started hydroplaning, and she lost control.

There was no way she was going to avoid disaster. She tried to run off the road, hoping the ditch wasn’t too steep. She had no other choice if she wanted to avoid a collision with the innocent driver.

But it was too late. She started to go off road, her eyes widening as her breath choked off when she saw the depth of the hill, and the trees lining the bottom. The car clipped her rear end hard, and a scream ripped through her chest as the Jeep spun around and then teetered on two wheels.

The moment seemed to spin out. She noticed everything, from her ice-cold veins, to her inability to draw a breath, both hands clenching the wheel, knuckles white. She saw the look of horror on the other driver’s face, the blood on his forehead, his mouth open and the veins in his neck bulging like he was screaming with her.

Then with a whoosh, she was abruptly in the moment again. The Jeep started to topple over, and just as it did, her seat belt snapped. No seat belt, the top off the Jeep… there was no way out of this, and it was going to end in disaster.

She just wished she’d gotten the chance to tell Chase everything was okay. That she was okay with his wolf. That she wanted more than anything to spend her life with him, in his arms every night surrounded by his love, with little wolf shifter babies running around. That she loved him.

Now she’d most likely never get the chance.

The car hit the ground hard, and everything went black.