The ringing of the phone woke Hannah. She squinted blearily at the clock, surprised when she saw how late it was. Then again, she’d been thoroughly worn out by Chase, three times over, before he left in the early morning hours.

She took a moment to remember the night before with a soft smile, and then groaned and shoved the covers off. She padded through the house, yawning big enough to make her jaw crack, and found her clutch, pulling her phone out just as the ringing stopped.

She groaned again when she saw her mother’s number, then felt relieved she hadn’t made it in time. That had been a close call.

She started to turn away to make some coffee and the phone immediately started ringing again. She squeezed her eyes shut and cursed softly under her breath. It was dangerous to talk to her mother without coffee, but she had to answer it. Gloria would just continue to call until she did, getting more and more irate with every unanswered call.

“Hello, Mother,” she said, stifling another yawn.

“It’s about time you answered the phone, Hannah. Are you yawning? It’s almost noon. You should have been up hours ago.”

Hannah rolled her eyes as she made her way to the kitchen. Her mother couldn’t even manage a greeting without criticizing her about something.

“I had a late night. What can I do for you?”

“I’m calling to tell you your father and I expect you at dinner tonight. You’ve missed two weeks in a row now, and that’s unacceptable. You can’t miss more.”

Not even an inquiry to see if she was feeling better. She hadn’t been sick, but her mother didn’t know that. She hesitated, debating on what to say, but apparently, Gloria didn’t require an answer. She just kept on talking.

“Your father and I need to speak with you on a matter of urgency, Hannah. We’ll see you at six sharp. And for God’s sake, wear something appropriate.”

She suppressed a sigh. “Yes, Mother.”

Gloria harrumphed and ended the call without another word or waiting on a reply, and Hannah set the phone down on the counter as she turned the coffee maker on.

“How are you feeling, Hannah? How was your week? We do hope you’re feeling better. Will you be able to make it to dinner tonight?” she muttered to herself in an uncharacteristically snarky tone.

Rolling her eyes at herself this time, Hannah poured a cup of coffee as soon as there was a reasonable amount in the pot. Apparently, she needed the jolt more than she thought she did.

Hannah rang the doorbell for her parent’s house at exactly five fifty-five that evening, smoothing her hands down the front of her dress while she waited. Her eyes widened in shock when the door was almost instantly answered by her mother. Gloria had never answered a door in all of Hannah’s life, and she couldn’t help wondering if Hell had frozen over when she wasn’t looking.

“You’re late,” her mother scolded. “Follow me.”

Not bothering to argue with her mother about what time it was, Hannah followed Gloria to the living room, and came to an abrupt halt, shock filling her again at the sight of her father already sitting down. She couldn’t remember him ever being on time for dinner drinks before.

“Have a seat, Hannah,” he said sternly. “We’ve already poured you a drink.”

She followed his gesture to see a glass of wine sitting in front of her usual spot on the couch. Okay, something was definitely up with these two. She swallowed hard as she sat down and took a sip of wine. It looked like she was going to need some liquid fortification for the conversation ahead.

“I’m just going to be blunt,” her mother said, like it was something new for her. “We know you’ve been seeing Chase MacKeltar.”

Hannah felt her eyes widen as she stared at her mother, wondering how they’d found out. Her gaze switched to her father when he started speaking.

“Don’t bother denying it, Hannah. Our sources are excellent. I shouldn’t have to tell you he’s not someone you should be seeing. Think of our family’s reputation.”

“If we don’t want you to be friends with a MacKeltar, we certainly won’t condone you dating one,” her mother said with a sniff.

“You know we have my political career to think of. It’s imperative we keep ourselves above reproach right now, and dating trash isn’t the way to do it,” Marshall said with a frown.

“Listen, we understand about urges, Hannah,” Gloria continued. “It’s undignified to speak of, but I feel like we must, because I know if we allude to it, it’ll go straight over your empty head. If you want this Chase heathen, use him to slake your needs, and then be done with it. But for heaven’s sake, don’t be seen in public with him. Learn to be discreet.”

Hannah knew her mouth was hanging open as her eyes shot back and forth between her parents, but she couldn’t help it. Of all the highhanded, ridiculous things they’d spouted over the years, and there had been many, this was probably the worst. And that was saying something.

She searched for her voice. This was the moment when she had to stand up, not only for herself, but for others. She couldn’t listen to any more of this, and if they wanted to see more of her, they would stop right now.

“Now that the unpleasantness is out of the way,” Gloria said, like what they’d just said wasn’t awful, and like they completely expected her compliance, “we have some wonderful news!”

Dread dumped into Hannah’s system, intensified by her father’s next words.

“Yes, and it will probably make everything we said moot, anyway,” Marshall said, clasping his hands together, a look akin to glee on his face.

“Hunter is coming back to town this week! Isn’t that wonderful?”

Hannah paled. She hadn’t seen him since she’d broken up with him, and he’d been furious then. Donahue’s don’t get dumped, he’d said. They do the dumping. And the fact that she thought she could do better than him was just further proof that she was dumber than a rock.

“I don’t know why you thought it was a good idea to break up with him, but it was a stupid move on your part,” her father said, unknowingly echoing Hunter’s words a couple years ago. “We expect you to be civil. What’s more, we expect you to make every effort to rekindle things between the two of you. Apologize, beg for his forgiveness if you have to. I don’t care what you have to do, just make this happen.”

“We’re having a dinner party next Saturday, and we expect you to be there, and begin winning him back at that time. I don’t care if you’re sick or dying, you will be there,” Gloria said, voice firm and brooking no argument.

“I shouldn’t have to tell you how important this is. My campaign needs this connection to the Donahue name, and the hefty donation I’m sure his father will make once you and Hunter are an item again. Your behavior these last few years has been disappointing. But this is your chance to redeem yourself.”

“He’s only in town for a week, so you’ll need to work fast. I’m sure you can seduce him in that time. You’re certainly pretty enough. Good looks were never your problem. Just try not to open your mouth too much, especially around his parents. They need to approve the match.”

The maid appeared in the doorway. “Dinner is served,” she announced with a curtsey.

Her parents stood. “We’ll discuss this more while we eat, and give you guidelines on behavior and what you should and shouldn’t talk about. Now come along.”

Hannah sat frozen, feeling shell shocked, her mind numb. Finally moving, she snatched her wine glass up and gulped the liquid down before standing to follow her parents.

She’d finish out this dinner and then she was done. They’d gone too far this time. Demands on her home, her car, and her job were one thing. Demands on who she could be friends with and who she could date were another.

And no way in hell would she ever get back together with Hunter. It would be a cold day in hell before she even thought about contemplating it.

She tried, but she couldn’t get her legs to move in the direction of the dining room. She had absolutely no reason to continue this farce of a family dinner, and every reason not to. She had to learn to stand up to them. Enough was enough.

Anger at their demands, and the way they talked about Chase and her friends, surged through her veins, and she didn’t try to contain it. She let it flow free, and she raised her glass high before dropping it, watching as it crashed onto the marble floor, the remaining liquid staining the Persian rug under her feet. With a satisfied smile, she walked over it, savoring the crunch of glass under her heel, and walked out with her head held high.

Chase dialed Hannah’s number and paced while he waited for her to answer, anxious to hear her voice again. It hadn’t even been that long since he left her bed, but it felt like ages since he saw her.

“Hey,” she answered when she picked up.

“Hey, baby,” he said with a smile, contentment filling him and his wolf at the sound of her voice. “Did you have a nice afternoon?”

“Yeah, it was fine. How’s yours?”

Frowning over the off notes in her voice, he replied, “It’s good. We’re at the fighters’ house, working on it fixing it up. I miss you.”

“It’s only been like nine hours,” she said with a giggle that washed over him, bringing a wave of warmth with it. “But I miss you, too.”

“Nine hours too many. Last night was amazing. I could have stayed in bed with you all day.”

“Me, too. It was the best night of my life,” she replied softly.

“I’m glad, because it was mine, as well. I was wondering if you wanted to go to Cocky Pete’s with me on Friday. You said you like casual, and you don’t get much more casual than Pete’s.”

“I’d love that,” she replied, her voice perking up a bit. “I haven’t been in a while, and it’ll be fun with you.”

“It’s settled, then. Cocky Pete’s it is. From Alejandro’s to Pete’s. We’re a versatile couple.”

A sound, like a soft sigh, came through the phone. “A couple. I like the sound of that.”

“So do I, baby. You have no idea how much,” he replied with a smile. He paused, his smile slipping away. “Are you all right, Hannah? You sounded off when you answered the phone.”

“I just have a headache,” she answered softly. “I think I’m going to go get a hot bath, try to relax it away.”

“Okay, sweetheart. I hope you feel better soon. Text me later.”

“I will. Bye, Chase.”

Chase hung up with Hannah and frowned thoughtfully at the phone. The conversation felt a little off. Like something wasn’t quite right with her.

She’d sounded genuinely happy to hear from him, and he loved hearing that last night had been amazing for her, too. Shifters could hear lies, so he believed what she said was true. And yet, he felt like she was lying by omission, keeping something hidden from him. There was something else going on, something that was bothering her, that she wasn’t telling him.

He exhaled heavily as he shoved his phone back in his pocket. There was nothing he could do about it right now. He was busy helping the fighters finish fixing the house up today, and besides, he didn’t feel like he and Hannah were at a place in their relationship where he could push her to talk.

“Yo,” he heard just as a paintbrush hit him in the shoulder. “You asked me to come over and help, and now you’re slacking. Get your ass back over here.”

Turning, Chase rolled his eyes at his friend Nate, and walked back to where they were painting the trim on the house. It was coming along nicely. The whole house was. No one would ever know it had been nothing short of unlivable this time last year.

He zoned out while he worked, thinking once again about his phone call with Hannah. This was going to bug the hell out of him until he either talked to her again and she sounded better, or he saw for himself she was okay.

“Dude, seriously, what’s up with you? You were fine earlier, and now you’re totally out of it.” Nate looked over at him and gestured to his shirtless torso. “I know the sight of all this man meat on display usually drives the ladies to distraction, but I never expected it to affect you like that.”

“Man meat? Gross, Nate,” Chase said, face screwed up in disgust. “It’s nothing. My mind is just somewhere else, I guess.”

“You wanna talk about it?” he asked, eyeing Chase.

“Nah, I’m good, man.”

“Is it shifter shit?”

Nate was the only human he’d ever told about his shifter status. It hadn’t fazed his friend a bit. Chase only hoped telling Hannah would be as easy.

“No, it’s woman shit. Has nothing to do with shifter problems.”

Nate nodded and then arched an eyebrow at him. “I wouldn’t have been surprised if it had been. Being a wolf has got to fucking blow, man. Having a slobbering dog for an animal would suck.”

Chase looked over at him and cocked an eyebrow in return. “And what animal would you be, if you were a shifter?”

Nate wrinkled his forehead in thought for a moment before his expression brightened. “I’d be a fluffy house cat shifter. Now, that would be badass. I’d have my own YouTube channel, with millions of followers. My meme’s would be plastered all over the internet. I’d be a hell of a lot more famous than Grumpy Cat. People would love me. I can see it now.” He glanced over at Chase, a serious expression on his face. “Find a house cat shifter and have them turn me. Make it happen, man.”

Chase threw his head back and laughed, but the answer shouldn’t have surprised him. Nate owned three cats, and he wasn’t shy about telling everyone how much he loved them.

They both looked over when Ian called for Nate. He put his paintbrush down and clapped Chase hard on the shoulder before going to talk to Ian. Nate was an insurance agent, and that was really why he’d been called over, not to help fix the house. Ty wanted the house inspected and an estimate on how much it would cost to insure it, now that it was worth something.

He got back to work, trying to blank his thoughts out. He must have succeeded because he jumped when he noticed Ian standing by him with his arms crossed, studying him intently. Chase cursed when the sudden movement caused paint to fly from his brush and spray his chest.

“Sorry,” Ian said, not sounding sorry at all.

“Nate gone?” Chase asked as Ian grabbed a paintbrush and started to paint.

“Yeah, I showed him the house, and then he took off. Said something about feeding his cats.” He shook his head with a roll of his eyes, and then hesitated for a moment. “I heard you’re seeing Hannah now. Is it serious? She your mate?”

Chase exhaled heavily. “Yeah, she is. I don’t know how it’s all going to play out, but she’s it for me.”

“Because of how you used to treat her? She’s dating you, man, so she must have forgiven you.”

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean she’s going to be down for being with me forever. And she doesn’t know about shifters. I don’t know how she’s going to react.”

That made Ian pause thoughtfully for a moment. “I can’t give you any advice on that one. I don’t have any experience with it. Shelby’s mom is a tiger like I am, damn her black soul to hell. All I can say is there are plenty of shifters who have human mates, your brother included. It has at least a fifty-fifty chance of being okay.”

Chase smirked. “You suck at pep talks, Ian.”

He shrugged. “I tried. Anyway, I know if she accepts you, you won’t want to shack up with her in the same house as your brother and Parker. You should take this place. We’ll be out of here soon, and it’ll all be yours.”

Chase stopped painting and stared at him, surprised. “Don’t you need this place for you and your fighters? And you worked so hard to fix it up and make it habitable.”

“I did that because your brother wouldn’t accept rent,” he said with a shrug. “It was a fair trade. We’re making some decent money now that we’re established here, so we can afford a new place. And we need one now that I have Shelby back. There aren’t enough bedrooms for her to have her own right now. She either has to share with me, or Cammie. She deserves her own.”

He nodded, agreeing with Ian about that. “Do you have a place in mind?”

“I already bought one. The old Markson ranch. It has a decent house with enough bedrooms for each of us to have our own. A plus, since I’m sure Seth and Jax are going to kill each other if they share for much longer. The barn is big enough for a gym, and it has plenty of land with it. And the price was right.”

“The old Markson place? The one next to that little creek with the funny name? Rocky Road Creek, or some shit like that?”

Ian cracked a rare grin. “Rocky River Creek. Just a little less weird. Why anyone would give a creek a name with the word river is beyond me.”

“I’m happy for you, Ian. I haven’t been out there in ages, but from what I remember, it was a nice place. When are y’all moving?”

“Not for a couple weeks yet. I want to finish up this house, and make some small improvements on the new one first. I just wanted to give you, and Ty, an early heads up.”

Chase nodded and they fell silent as they got to work. But it wasn’t long before his mind was back on Hannah, wondering once more if she was okay.