Nova intuitively knew how to find her brother; that was one advantage of being twins. No matter how much distance separated them, they could never truly hide from each other. So even though Nova felt she was running blindly under the rapidly darkening sky, her legs led her right to where she needed to be. She came to a stop at Wilson’s Bar, sensing Julius nearby. The absence of dogs at the water-fountain also indicated Julius was near; other canines likely felt his hostile personality and had decided to keep away.

It was Thursday, but just like the day before, the bar appeared crowded. From outside, Nova could hear blasting music, laughter, and fun pulsing through the walls.

Nova just stared at the entrance door for a moment, trying to figure out her next move. With the bar being so crowded, she didn’t want to cause a scene. However, she knew it would be a challenge to get Julius alone in private with her; he didn’t like it when his fun was spoiled.

Before she had time to contemplate the matter any longer though, the door to Wilson’s Bar swung open. To her horror, Dax and the brunette from the night before stepped out. Her stomach lurched, and she quickly darted out of sight, crouching behind the fountain and praying he hadn’t seen her. Fortunately, he was far too preoccupied to notice anything in his vicinity that wasn’t the brunette. The way they carried on as if their lips were stuck together, they could hardly make it out the door or walk straight.

“My place or yours?” the brunette said breathlessly once she and Dax broke from the kiss. Nova rolled her eyes so hard, she feared they would hear.

Dax grinned. “Any place will do.”

Nova tried not to gag.

Giggling, he and the brunette walked off, heading across the street and then out of view.

Feeling that she had dodged a bullet, Nova moved from behind the fountain, ready to refocus on the real issue at hand. Deciding she needed to take matters into her own hands, she figured she would just go inside and seek Julius out. If she spoiled his fun, too bad.

Before she could manage to make it to the door though, it swung open again, and none other than Julius stepped out. His hair was sloppily styled, but in a way that suited him—making him look fun and free. The shirt he wore was just tight enough to show off his muscles, but not so tight to be obnoxious. His clothing was green and black—the perfect shades to bring out his eyes.

He was not alone. A cute redhead was tucked under his arms, smiling so hard that it looked to Nova that her jaws should hurt. Julius’ face was nuzzled into the side of her neck—whether he was whispering or kissing her there, Nova couldn’t tell, and wasn’t too keen to find out. Witnessing Dax and the brunette was one thing, but seeing her own brother on a romantic rendezvous was another entirely. Unable to stomach seeing any more of it, Nova cleared her throat.

Julius looked up, his eyes wide and managing to sparkle despite the evening not providing much in terms of light. “Nova?” he said. “What the hell happened to you?”

It wasn’t until then that Nova remembered she still looked a mess, considering she had gone the whole day without properly showering or dressing. Not to mention all the time she had spent frolicking in the woods with Cannon. But now was not the time for such vanity.

“Save it Julius,” Nova answered. “I’d like to know what you’ve been up to though, I have a feeling those events are far more interesting, to say the least.”

“Who is this?” the redhead whispered to Julius, her eyes glued on Nova.

“No one of importance,” Julius said offhandedly. “Just my sister, darling,” he added when the redhead frowned, unsatisfied with his previous answer. “More than my sister, actually. My twin. You would see our resemblance in better lighting, and if she didn’t look such a hot mess right now.”

“Julius, we need to talk,” Nova said, her voice angry and clipped. “Now.”

“Little sister,” Julius said, “listen carefully because I know this may be hard for you to understand—but some of us have lives outside of our families. I am one of those people. Therefore, I’m kind of busy—or at least I plan to be very soon. So how about we take a rain check?”

The redhead snickered, burying her face into Julius’s chest. He wrapped his arm around her and then briefly tickled her sides, making her laugh louder. She swayed on the spot, clearly tipsy.

“Julius, don’t test my patience. I’m not in the mood,” Nova said.

“That makes two of us,” Julius replied. “Now why don’t you just run along and let me carry on with my night. If you cared to fix yourself up these days, maybe you’d manage to have some fun tonight too.”

Nova snarled, making the redhead jump. Her hazel eyes widened, and she cowered into Julius’ side. “Are you sure this is your sister?” she whispered.

“Yes, I’m his sister,” Nova answered. “And we have family business to tend to, whether he likes it or not. So I’m sorry to ruin your fun, but you need to step away from my brother and mind your own damned business tonight. Got it?”

“Don’t listen to her, love—” Julius began, but his words were cut short when Nova suddenly charged at the redhead. She snatched her by the arm, and forcefully pulled her away from Julius.

The redhead let out a startled cry and squirmed against Nova’s grip. “Hey! Let me go! Julius—get her away from me! What’s wrong with her?”

“Let me tell you what’s going to happen,” Nova whispered in the redhead’s ear. “Either you can leave now and go about your business without getting hurt. Maybe you’ll luck up and get your one-night stand with my brother tomorrow. Or, you can stay here and wish you hadn’t.” Nova twisted her arm and the redhead cried out in pain.

“Nova, that’s enough!” Julius yelled.

“So what’s it going to be?” Nova said, ignoring her brother’s protests.

“What the hell, Nova? What’s gotten into you?” he said. He reached to pull the redhead back to him, but Nova snatched her out of reach.

“Don’t give me the wrong answer, sweetheart,” Nova said. “I need a word with my dear brother. So if you know what’s good for you, you’ll run along and find someone else to shack up with for the night. Hell, have some respect for yourself and find someone who isn’t going to be done with you an hour later because I assure you, that’s what would happen with my brother. If his pathetic ass can even last an hour.”

“Nova, I swear, I’m going to beat you for this,” Julius said.

Nova released her grip on the redhead’s arm, knowing she had probably squeezed hard enough to leave a bruise. She almost felt some remorse for it; after all, the poor girl hadn’t had a clue what she was walking into when she had been charmed by Julius. But Nova knew it wasn’t the time to show regret; she had a point to get across.

“Come here, doll. Are you all right?” Julius said, beckoning the redhead to return to him. But she shook her head. Her eyes were glossy with frightened tears.

“I don’t know what’s going on here, but I want no part of it. You and your sister have a good night. I’m out of here.”

“Smart girl,” Nova said, smiling so serenely she looked demented. With one glance back at her, the redhead scurried away.

Julius turned toward his sister, his expression livid. He closed his eyes and balled his fists at his sides. “Nova, I swear, you better have a good explanation for this, or—”

“Or what?” Nova spat. “You’ll run off to Maxine again?”

Julius opened his eyes and blinked. “What…Where’d you…Who told you…?”

“Don’t stutter to me, dear big brother. Save your fake surprise for someone else.”

“I haven’t spoken to Maxine. You’re delusional.”

“And you’re a bullshit liar! Don’t play dumb with me. Cannon overheard you on the phone this morning talking to her while you were in his office, and I know he has no reason to lie to me. So how about you tell me what your secret conversation was about, Julius?”

Julius’s upper lip snarled ferally. “Cannon,” he said, uttering his name as if it were a swear. “I always told Father we didn’t need that meddlesome human working for us! Thanks for the heads up, sis. Looks like I’m going to have to teach that spying little long-haired pest a lesson. Good thing I’m in town. I’ll have to find someone more suitable to take his place. You see—this ought to show you how subpar Father’s judgment has become. Go figure I’m the new favorite to run the pack.”

Nova grit her teeth, her own fists balling so hard that her fingernails dug painfully into her palms. She could feel her wolf prowling beneath the surface, begging to be released. Just to sink her teeth into Julius’s neck or arm to prove her point. “Julius, I swear, you better not lay a hand on him.”

Her twin raised his eyebrows. “Excuse me?” he said. “I didn’t know you were so into humans these days. If you’ve grown so fond of them, this town should be perfect for you. Maybe Maxine did you a favor after all.”

Nova started to tell him that Cannon wasn’t human, but quickly changed her mind, seeing no valid reason for him to know. “I’m only going to ask you once, Julius—what’s going on with you and Maxine? Tell me the truth or I swear, I’ll tell Dad about your backstabbing plans to become alpha.”

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“Try me.”

Nova knew her brother had a temper very much like her own, but it still caught her off guard when he gave her a backhanded slap that stung her face and left her sprawled on the pavement with stars dancing before her eyes.

“Hey!” someone yelled.

Nova turned her head, seeing a good Samaritan approaching them. He was a slightly graying middle-aged man with a rotund midsection, hurriedly waddling their way, clearly wanting to come to Nova’s defense. She didn’t blame him—she knew how things must have looked from his perspective. The past couple days had seen Nova working in the soil of the winery’s fields with Cannon, crying her eyes out over Julius’s betrayal to their father, having a rather strong beer, barely sleeping, and then spending nearly a whole day running through the woods. She may have been in her human form, but she likely looked far from human after the ordeals she’d been through. Undoubtedly, the man thought he was seeing a poor and battered woman, being abused by a boyfriend who was an unhinged jerk. The man was not close enough, or perhaps not paying close enough attention, to catch the uncanny resemblance she shared with the guy who had just slapped her to the ground.

“Step away from the girl right now, or I’m calling the police,” the man yelled to Julius.

“No,” Nova croaked as she climbed to her feet. She held her hand out, motioning for the man to stop, but he ignored her and kept coming closer, determined to play the hero.

Julius sighed. “I’m so not in the mood for this,” he said. “Look man—please mind your own business.”

“This is my business,” the man said haughtily. He waved a reprimanding finger and Julius. Nova held her breath, hoping Julius didn’t reach out and break the finger clean off the man’s hand. “I know your type. My aunt was once married to a low-life just like you. You’re a coward. You hear me? A lady-basher is a coward. I’m not going to ask you again, step away from her or I’m calling the police, you loser.”

“I’m okay, sir. I swear,” Nova said. “I can take care of myself.”

The man looked her up and down, unconvinced. “Listen sweetheart, you don’t have to put up with this kind of thing. You’re too pretty for that. Come on—let me give you a ride home,” he offered. “And if you don’t have anywhere to go, I know a nice place to take you to. My aunt works at a women’s shelter not far from here. I can take you there and she’d be happy to help you. You can get yourself cleaned up and start getting your life on track. You’ll be safe from people like him.”

Julius burst out laughing. He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall beside the entrance of Wilson’s Bar. “Oh, this is riveting,” he said. “Do you hear that, Nova? He thinks you’re possibly homeless.” He looked toward the man. “Tell me, savior—what else do you think you can do to help this poor misguided lady of the night?”

The man glared at Julius and muttered angrily under his breath. He turned his attention back to Nova. “I’m telling you, honey, this guy is no good.”

“And I’m telling you, sir—I’m all right. Honestly.”

The man shook his head. “Well, I’m not comfortable leaving you with him. Can I at least call you a cab? Do you have somewhere to go? Do you want the address to the shelter?”

“Okay, I’ve had enough of this display of chivalry,” Julius said. “You are dismissed. Leave us.”

“The nerve of you!” the man said, rounding on Julius.

Sensing the tension in the air skyrocket, Nova attempted to push the man away from Julius, but her brother’s patience had already worn too thin. Before she knew it, Julius had positioned himself right in front of the man’s face, a menacing gleam in his eyes. “LEAVE US!” he bellowed, an angry growl backing up his words. His green eyes flashed dangerously, and he curled his lips, putting his protruding canine teeth on display.

The good Samaritan’s eyes bulged and he stumbled backwards, almost tipping over and falling to the ground. He clutched his chest and continued to back away, shaking his head. “What the devil?” he cried.

“I SAID LEAVE US!” Julius growled again.

The man made the sign of the cross over his forehead and took off running in the opposite direction.

Nova glared at Julius. No, she wasn’t particularly fond of humans, but that didn’t mean she felt it appropriate to be so dramatic and scare them into almost having a heart-attack. What she’d done to the redhead had been mild in comparison; she may have left their encounter with a bruise, but at least she’d keep her sanity. This poor man, on the other hand, would now live questioning this night for the rest of his life after the way he’d seen Julius’s face morph.

Yet, before she managed to say a word to Julius about his over-the-top behavior, he grabbed her by the arm and sped off with her. Once again, she’d been taken so off guard that all she could do was follow along. When they came to a stop, they were in a deserted alley that was filled with the stench of old garbage and cat urine.

By this point, Nova no longer needed words; her anger was enough to guide her. She thought of how Julius wanted to betray their Father, of the fact that he was in contact with Maxine and hadn’t bothered to say anything about it, and the threat he had just recently made about Cannon.

Her clothes ripped from her body as her form took on that of the powerful white wolf.

And Julius did the same.

Snarling, Nova leapt onto Julius’s back, her teeth snapping, wanting to do as much damage as possible. But just as expected, her brother was a formidable opponent. With a quick and efficient maneuver, he flung her off his back, sending her flying across the alley and noisily crashing into an old garage. A tin garbage can tipped over and fell on her, its hot and smelly contents spilling and seeping into her white fur. Her yelp of simultaneous pain and disgust rang through the evening air. She wouldn’t be deterred so soon though; she wasn’t done with Julius yet. Once she got back to her feet, she charged at him again.

Nova sank her teeth deep into his neck, yanking at his fur and skin and feeling a stream of his blood filling her mouth. He howled and snapped his teeth, missing her by inches. She then slammed his snout with her paw, making his head snap sideways as he slid across the ground, leaving a trail of blood behind him.

Nothing kept Julius Windego down for long though. Within seconds, he was back on his feet and charging for Nova again, his aggression rising tenfold now that he knew she wasn’t playing with him.

Standing on their hind legs, Nova and Julius swung their massive paws at each other, hitting one another blow for blow. By the time Nova was back on all fours, her ears, nose, and neck were sore. But she still looked across the alley toward her brother, noting appreciatively that he was unsteady on his feet, equally injured.

They stood across from each other, growling and snarling, but reluctant to attack again due to their injuries; they both needed a moment to recover before resuming. Yet, just when Nova thought they were ready to call a truce and continue the rest of their fight with words, a car sped down the alley, causing both wolves to scramble out of the way. When the car came to a screeching halt, Nova noticed it was Cannon’s jeep. He poked his head out the driver’s side window. “NOVA!” he cried. “ARE YOU ALL RIGHT?”

He jumped out the car.

Nova’s fur stood on end as Julius’s growl pierced through the air. His eyes flashed with a crazed look, suggesting that he was back in fighting-mode. His sights were not on his sister this time though; he had eyes solely for Cannon.

A low and panicked groan escaped Nova’s throat. She was pretty sure foxes weren’t as strong as wolves and thus, a fight between Cannon and Julius would hardly be a competition.

Knowing she needed to act fast, Nova leapt into the air, soaring across the alley and landing on top of Julius again. He snarled and snapped at her, attempting to gain a free path to Cannon. He and Nova subsequently wound up in a furious tussle that culminated with Julius sinking his teeth into Nova’s leg.

Her howls rang through the alley so loudly, she knew it would only be a matter of time before humans noticed and started calling animal control services, under the impression that wild and rabid wolves had traveled into the area.

Cannon bellowed Nova’s name and began rushing towards her. At the same time, Julius leapt through the air, his teeth barred as he prepared to launch for Cannon.

Cannon held his arms out like a shield right in the nick of time, blocking Julius’s attack and pushing him away. Lying on the ground, unable to put pressure on her leg, Nova watched, thinking of how Cannon was stronger than she thought he was. Julius crashed to the ground once again, and Cannon took the opportunity to retrieve Nova. He scooped her into his arms and ran back to his jeep, where he tossed her into the backseat, slammed the door, and then climbed behind the driver’s wheel and took off. The tires screeched and echoed through the deserted alley until the sound was drowned out by Julius’s howl.

The howl of the male Windego twin followed behind the jeep for an uncomfortably long time before finally drifting out of earshot.

Nova knew precisely what his howl indicated though.

A warning.

She and the brother she’d entered the world with, were now at war.