Cannon woke up happier than he could remember feeling in such a long time. When he rolled over and saw Nova sleeping soundly beside him, he remembered why. Thoughts of the pleasure they had shared the night before danced through his mind. He could practically still feel the delicious warmth and softness of her skin, and it halfway made him want to experience it again right then and there. But she was sleeping so peacefully, he didn’t want to wake her. He would have his way with her again, when the time was right.

Unable to resist touching her in some capacity though, he reached out to grab a lock of her blond hair. It had still been wet from her shower when they’d screwed around last night, but now it was dry and trailed through his fingers like silk. He tucked it behind her ear and then gently caressed the side of her face. At his touch, a smile spread across her lips.

“Morning,” she said, her eyes still closed.

“Good morning, beautiful.”

She smiled wider, stretched, and opened her gorgeous green eyes. Cannon leaned in for a kiss, which she happily returned. When it was over, she sighed heavily and curled onto her side, hugging the pillow she’d been lying on close to her bare body.

“What is it?” Cannon asked, tracing delicate circles on her shoulder with his fingertips.

“A new day,” she said. “Which means it’s time to face reality again.”

Cannon waited. He wondered if she would finally tell him what was going on, but he didn’t want to press her for answers—not after she had told him yesterday to not mention her brother.

Nova sat up and stretched, sighing again. “How about some coffee? And then—I’m ready. We can talk.”

Cannon nodded silently and climbed out of bed. He stepped into a pair of sweatpants and then headed to the kitchen to start the coffee pot.

When the coffee began to brew, leaving a rich aroma throughout his cabin, he realized he was starting to feel nervous. He and Nova had crossed the line where he could never again deny how he felt about her, even if he wanted to. And while he was curious to know exactly what was going on in her life that had brought her to such a strained relationship with her own twin, he was also feeling apprehensive about finding out.

The way he’d felt after driving into the alley and seeing Nova, in her beautiful white wolf form, getting so viciously attacked—it had made him feel all but murderous.

What if what she had to tell him was too much to deal with?

He was no stranger to complicated relationships, but he still worried he was in over his head when it came to dating a Windego.

Cannon retrieved two mugs and filled them with coffee. He then carried them onto his patio, hoping the fresh air would soothe both of their nerves as Nova delved into the complicated matters she was dealing with. Unsure of how she liked her coffee, he brought sugar, cream, and milk onto the patio too, placing them on the table.

Just as he finished arranging the table, the patio door slid open and Nova stepped out, once again wearing his oversized t-shirt. He made a mental note to search his wardrobe for something that could possibly fit her a little better, then rethought it. He’d rather get a glimpse of those legs every chance he got.

“Thank you,” she said, grabbing a mug and drinking her coffee plain.

They settled into their respective seats and moments later, Nova launched into her story. After twenty minutes, Cannon leaned back in his chair and rubbed his forehead, trying to let what she’d just told him sink in. She sat across from him, warming her hands on her coffee cup even though it was an abnormally warm morning.

“Why would your brother do something like that? Want to become alpha? Possibly hurt your dad to try to take it?” Cannon asked.

Nova smiled, though not kindly. “Power, or the mere thought of it, changes people.”

“But—are you sure he knows what would happen to your father?”

“Of course he knows. And it’s a chance he’s still willing to take.”

“And with Maxine—you think he’s working with her? That he wants you to stay trapped here so that you won’t be in his way when he decides to challenge your father?”

“Bingo.”

“That bastard.”

“Bingo again.”

“So what are you going to do?”

“Well—I was hoping you’d go with me to talk to the Bradwicks. I know someone who might be able to help, but only on one condition—that I tell the Bradwicks I’m in town. They’ll likely want to know that Julius is here too.”

Cannon stood. “Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s go.”

* * *

“So, do you want to give me the run down on exactly what triggered the Bradwick Windego feud?” Cannon asked once he and Nova were in his jeep and hitting the road toward the Bradwick residence. Before they left, he had managed to find a less baggy t-shirt for her, a hoodie, and a pair of shorts with a drawstring so that she could tie it as needed. Shoes that fit properly were harder to come by, so she was left to wear a pair of his flip-flops even though they were too big. Cannon had offered to drive her back to her cabin so that she could dress in her own clothes, but she had declined, too worried that when she opened the door, Julius would be inside waiting for her, ready to resume their brutal fight.

“I suppose I have to,” she said.

“You don’t have to, but it would be nice.”

“My family and the Bradwicks—let’s just say we’ve had one too many unfortunate run-ins, and now we’re mortal enemies.”

“What happened during the last unfortunate run-in?”

Nova stared down at her lap. “My brother—”

“Ahh,” Cannon said. “How did I know the story would start with him?”

“Because it always does.”

“I bet. I’m sorry, continue.”

“My brother—a while back, he was in hot pursuit of the youngest Bradwick siblings. Her name was Bianca. I guess I don’t really blame him—she was a pretty girl. The Bradwicks—let’s just say they have their certain charms. I should know. I, uhm…” she paused for a moment. “I have history with one of them.”

Cannon raised an eyebrow. “You’ve slept with the enemy?” He paused, “Oh wait. Dax, I forgot about that.”

Nova began picking her fingernails. “Haven’t we all done things not worth bragging about?”

“Yeah. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it as a judgment. Except we both kind of hate him.”

“Yeah and with good reason. Anyway—the thing about my brother—with his archaic caveman brain, is that he hates being told ‘no’, especially by a girl. So he just kept going after Bianca, relentlessly. He’s so cocky. He knows he’s good-looking, and he thinks that if he tries hard enough, he can have any girl he wants. A part of it though, was probably that he was in competition with me. Maybe he figured that since I was dating a Bradwick, he wanted to get one too. But Bianca—she just wasn’t interested. So she sent another one of her brothers, Liam, to confront Julius and get him off her back. Liam is the wild-child of the Bradwick family. He actually showed up right on our turf, not caring that he was in hostile wolf-territory, to confront my brother, telling him to leave his sister the hell alone or he’d kick his ass. You know Julius couldn’t take being spoken to like that.”

“Let me guess—a fight broke out?”

“Naturally. And it was bad. Really bad.” Nova paused for an instant and looked out the window at the trees passing along in a blur. “A wolf was killed that day.”

“Someone you knew?”

She nodded.

“Jesus. I’m sorry.”

“Well, each family blamed the other in the aftermath. Julius said it wouldn’t have happened if Liam hadn’t come by looking for a fight. Liam said it wouldn’t have happened if Julius wasn’t such a pest who didn’t know how to handle being turned down by a girl. Julius said Liam needed to stop fighting his sister’s fights, and on and on the insults went. Let’s just say, the aftermath of it all got really ugly too. And then, things took an ultimate turn for the worst when Bianca died.”

A hush fell over the jeep. “How did she die?” Cannon finally asked.

“She drowned. But obviously, the Bradwicks suspected foul-play, and still do. And how can you blame them? Nobody knows for sure what exactly happened with Bianca though. But one thing is for sure—if the Bradwicks hated us before, it was nothing compared to how they hated us after that.”

Cannon cleared his throat nervously. “So, us showing up—they don’t have a kill-on-sight policy when it comes to your family, do they?”

Nova bit her lip. “Let’s hope not.”

Cannon looked at Nova from the corner of his eyes.

“They aren’t going to kill us,” she said. “Hopefully, they knew I would show up sooner or later. You see, after Bianca died, her parents were so overcome with grief that they couldn’t carry on as being the alphas of their clan anymore. So they passed the position down to their oldest son, Cole. Cole’s girlfriend is the one who may be able to help me out with the Maxine situation. Juliette—she’s the new leader of the Crescent Coven, and possibly the only person who can figure out what to do to break the curse that has me trapped here. But she insisted that I tell the Bradwicks that I’m here, because she didn’t want to get caught in the middle of our feud.”

Cannon nodded his head. “Okay. So that’s why we’re headed to the biggest house in town.”

“Second biggest,” she added playfully.

The rest of the ride continued in silence until they pulled up in front of the Bradwick castle. Cannon let out a low whistle as he peered through the windshield, taking in the magnificent building. Nova may have been wrong, this place was huge. With its tall columns, high windows, and intricate architectural design, it looked like something pulled straight out of a fairy-tale, albeit a dark fairy-tale. As the jeep drew nearer to the castle gates, the ominous feeling in the air intensified. The large steel front gates slowly opened, permitting them entrance onto the grounds.

Cannon suppressed a shudder, wondering if the gates had sensors to automatically opened when a vehicle approached, or if they were being watched through surveillance cameras somewhere.

“Just follow this path here until we reach the front door,” Nova instructed, pointing out a driveway to the right.

When they reached the front door and got out of the jeep, Nova reached for Cannon’s hand, and together, they headed for the doorstep. There was an old-fashioned knocker on the door. Nova banged it three times.

When the door opened, a beautiful woman stood before them. Beside him, Cannon felt rather than heard Nova let out a sigh of relief. He remembered she had history with one of the Bradwicks; obviously she was grateful that particular one hadn’t answered the door; he imagined that would have been awkward for them all.

Judging from the way Nova stared uneasily beyond the woman’s shoulder though, Cannon presumed she was still worried about her ex being nearby. So, they weren’t in the clear yet. Reacting to her anxiety, Cannon shifted his weight from one foot to the other as they stood there, waiting to be invited inside.

The woman narrowed her eyes at the two of them. “What the hell are you doing here?”

Cannon blinked and glanced at Nova, who looked a bit dumbfounded. He supposed she had expected a more cordial greeting since the Bradwicks had supposedly gotten a heads-up about her visit. On the other hand, the cold greeting may have been due to the way Nova was dressed. The woman looked Nova up and down with a scowl on her face. In comparison to the woman’s impeccable clothing, Nova looked especially shabby. Cannon found himself wishing Nova had gone ahead to dress in her own cabin; he didn’t like seeing her get looked at in such a condescending manner. Either that, or he wished he had managed to find something a little better for her to borrow. She looked good to him no matter what she wore, and apparently, his bias had caused him to overlook her messy appearance.

“Hello, Olivia,” Nova said. Although she sounded polite enough, it didn’t quite seem possible for Nova to entirely disguise the animosity in her voice. “I would like to have a word with Cole, if it’s all right. I’m sure he’s been expecting me.”

“Nova Windego.” The utterance of her name drifted from somewhere behind Olivia. Moments later, a young man came into view. Although he appeared older than Olivia, the resemblance between the two of them was striking; they could have almost been twins if it weren’t for the years separating them. They both had the same shiny dark hair and piercing blue eyes that seemed able to see right through your skin and into your soul.

Nova bowed her head slightly. “Good afternoon, Cole. I hope today is a good day for you and me to have a little chat?”

“A good day for a Windego? I don’t think such a thing exists,” he said. But he pushed Olivia aside nonetheless, permitting Nova and Cannon entrance.

“And who do we have here?” Cole said, eyeing Cannon.

“This is a friend of mine,” Nova said. “Cannon, this is Cole. Cole, Cannon.”

“Nice to meet you,” Cannon said, extending his hand, but Cole did not take it. He merely looked at Cannon and then turned his back. Like his sister, he eyed Nova from her head to her flip-flop wearing toes. “Business running slow with the winery?” he asked in a belittling tone.

“No,” Nova said. She stood up straight and adjusted the hoodie she wore, clearly trying to muster some dignity. “I was simply in a hurry, that’s all.”

“Hmm,” Cole said, turning his back to her as well. “Follow me.”

Nova exchanged glances with Cannon before falling into step behind Cole. Cannon followed closely behind them. They came to a stop in the dining room, a large and spacious area covered in dark cherry-wood that would have been perfect for throwing one hell of a dinner party.

“Seat yourselves,” Cole instructed.

Nova rounded the table and took a seat, and Cannon sat beside her.

Cole sat opposite them, fixing them both with his penetrating stare. “Leave us, Olivia,” he suddenly said.

Cannon and Nova both glanced around, only then realizing Olivia had been standing silently in the doorway. She met their eyes briefly before abruptly turning and leaving the premises.

Cannon began to bounce his knee a mile a minute under the table in response to the tension in the air. Nova sat with her hands folded tightly in her lap, putting great care into keeping her expression free of malice.

“Well don’t just sit there like the cat’s got your tongue. What do you want?” Cole demanded harshly.

Nova straightened in her chair. “I’m not sure how much Juliette told you—”

“It doesn’t matter what Juliette told me. You just tell me what you’ve come here to tell me yourself.”

Nova pursed her lips and took another deep breath. When she spoke again, her voice was carefully controlled. “It seems that Maxine has put a curse on me, preventing me from leaving Crescent Valley. I asked for Juliette’s help in breaking the spell. Out of respect for you, she insisted that I let you know that I was here.”

“Oh, so it took her demanding that you let us know you were here in order for you to do it?”

Nova smiled tensely. “No. I planned on alerting you myself, eventually.”

“Sure you did. A likely story.”

“Anyway—if there’s anything you can do to help in this matter, I would greatly appreciate it.” When Cole would not answer, Nova raised her eyebrows. “Isn’t there anything you can do?”

Cole simply sat and stared—cold, aloof, and stiff as a stature. It took him so long to respond to Nova’s question that Cannon thought maybe he hadn’t heard her.

“There may be something I can do,” he said after an extremely prolonged pause. “However, why would I want to? Why should I?”

Nova’s mouth moved soundlessly, unsure of what to say. Cannon glanced sideways at her, wishing there was something he could do or say to help, but not having the faintest idea how to come to her aid. This was entirely new territory. He knew the Bradwicks were a trusted bear clan, some of the strongest royal shifters on the East Coast. He didn’t want to piss them off, but he also didn’t like the way they were treating Nova. He balled his fists beneath the table.

Nova cleared her throat and straightened up in her chair again. She held her chin up high before she spoke. “I was hoping that over time, our families could someday let bygones be bygones.”

Yet, the instant these words left her mouth, Cannon knew Nova had made a grave mistake. The panicked look on her face indicated that she was also aware of this. “I mean—” she began to say, but Cole raised a hand in the air, instantly silencing her.

“Let bygones be bygones?” he said, his voice chillingly low. “Well, perhaps it’s easy for you to wish for such a thing. But for us, on the other hand, it may not be so simple. Perhaps there is not enough time in the world to make it so simple. I think it’s time for you to leave now.”

“But—”

“But nothing!” Cole said, slamming his hand down hard on the table. “I’m aware Maxine isn’t even in Crescent Valley anymore. As long as she’s not in Crescent Valley, she and her antics are no concern of mine! I have other issues to deal with Nova, surely you understand that.”

“Well, you may have some reason for concern, whether you realize it or not. Maxine—it seems that she has been working with my brother and—”

“Are you telling me Julius Windego is in own?” Cole said, cutting her off.

“Yes—”

“I will hear no more.” Cole’s blue eyes somehow became more sinister than they already were. “You tell your bastard twin brother that he needs to leave this town immediately, or he will be killed. I’ll see to that.”

Nova’s face paled, but she said nothing. There was no more for her to say. The history between the Bradwicks and the Windegos was so sordid that Cole’s reaction should have been expected. Finding out that Julius was in cahoots with Maxine wasn’t going to make him feel more inclined to help Nova if he didn’t see how it directly impacted him and his family.

If there was any hope left, it would have to come through Juliette alone.

Under the table, Cannon took Nova’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, showing support the only way he could at such a time.

“I’m sorry,” Cole said. “If I haven’t made myself clear enough, I would like you and your friend to leave. Now. I trust that you can let yourselves out because no one in my family will want to see your faces.”

“B-But Juliette—” Nova said.

“I will speak to Juliette to further decipher her intentions in getting involved with Windego affairs. And whatever decision we come to—well, I suppose you’ll find out if it ends up being any of your business. Good day to you.”

With that, Cole got up and left Nova and Cannon sitting at the table alone.