“So, how did you two meet?” Dawson asked out of the blue, as he stuffed hefty pieces of steak into his mouth.

Tamara put down her fork and glanced across the table at Devin. He took a long sip of water, and then nodded.

“We met at a museum,” she said. “Devin had just arrived in town when we…bumped into each other.”

“Bumped?” Dawson raised an eyebrow. With his blue eyes and blond hair, he looked nothing like his brother. They were tall, built the same for the most part, but each were like night and day. “Did you know what he was?”

“Not at the time.” It didn’t matter what he was. He’d saved her from possible miserable consequences because of a last minute decision to flee from Brad’s abuse. It was a selfless act he’d made by delaying pressing matters while seeing to it that she was safe within his haven.

Dawson sat back in his chair and crossed his arms. “The only reason the whole village hasn’t revolted yet is because of who Devin is.”

“Revolted?” Tamara frowned.

“You’re human. How do we know you don’t pose a threat to us all?”

“Dawson, that’s enough,” Devin warned.

“No. Let him talk.” She placed her fork on her plate. “I would never gain anything from bringing harm to your people.”

“You had to have known you were visiting a pack of wolves, and there would be opposition. What precisely would you gain from being here?”

“Devin.”

The whole table fell quiet at her declaration. It seemed to satisfy Dawson’s curiosity about her intentions as well. She lifted her gaze to study Devin, but he was already looking at her. His lips turned up in a smile, and she sighed in relief.

“Excuse me.” Lenora, the maid, stood at the doorway, holding a small girl by the hand.

Lenora waited patiently until Devin motioned for her to come in.

“Roman made it at long last. He said he was sorry he could not attend dinner but had to take care of other matters.” She pushed the girl gently forward. “He said he wanted you to meet Elisa.”

Elisa’s eyes remained on the floor, and she wrung her little hands against her white and red daisy dress. Her bouncy brown curls hugged her face, making her resemble a doll.

“Elisa, hello.” Devin was the first to speak. “Would you like to join us at the table? We’re having cake for dessert.”

The girl shook her head furiously, eyes still on the floor. “I don’t like cake.”

Lenora knelt before her, taking both of the girl’s little hands in hers. “It’s okay, Elisa. You have to be strong like we talked about.”

“Did Roman not leave a package?” Devin asked.

The maid stood and pulled the little girl closer to the table. “There are not many ways to put this, sir, but Elisa is the package.”

Devin dropped his utensils on the plate. “What do you mean…she’s the package?”

“Devin. Dawson. Elisa is the daughter of a maid that once worked here under your father. She’s your half-sister.”

“What!” Both Devin and Dawson chimed in shock.

Elisa cringed, all while keeping her gaze on the floor. Tamara immediately felt sorry for her and she was inclined to get up to console the girl.

* * *

Devin hadn’t even made it to the first step yet when Roman opened the door to his home and motioned for him to come inside. The elder probably hadn’t even used his gifts to sense his arrival. The surprise Roman had bestowed upon Devin at dinner would have been cause to anticipate a visit from anyone.

Devin sat in one of the chairs facing the fireplace. His hands itched in impatience as the elder poured steaming hot water over some herbs in a teacup.

Roman placed the tray on the table in front of them. “It’s rather late. You should be resting because you have a long day ahead of you tomorrow.”

He didn’t care about tomorrow; he was concerned with what he’d found out this day. “Is it true?”

“Have you ever known me to tell a lie?”

“Our sister,” Devin said in shock. “She’s barely nine years old. How could my father have kept this a secret?”

“The same way he kept your birth a secret.”

Devin’s frustration had his blood boiling. “But my mother wasn’t a maid in his servitude. How many female servants has he fucked? How many more children has he sired?”

“I have no knowledge of any others.” Roman pushed a cup of tea across the table toward him.

To appease the elder, he downed the hot herbal beverage in one gulp. The heat spread throughout him, added to the rage blazing inside his body. “Ironically, she seems to have been born around the same time my mother was banished from the village.”

“Your father never listened to me when it came to women. He was very busy in that department.”

“The child…where has she been staying?” If he knew his father right, he would have wanted to keep Elisa hidden away, but forever under his watchful eyes.

“Her mother was banished from the village when she was six years old. Up until then, she had been a servant. For the last three years, she’s been living with her aunt.”

“I can’t imagine what she has been through. Our situations are very similar, but she’s way younger than I was.”

Roman smiled. “I’ve had the privilege of tutoring her. She’s very mature for her age.”

“She’s taken a liking to Tamara. They were in the library when I left. Elisa knows our history well.”

“Elisa is special.”

Devin nodded. “Yes, all children are.”

“Elisa is a seer.”

“A seer? Like you?”

“She will lend great knowledge to our next generation.” His eyebrows drew together in concentration. “Your offspring.”

“Then she will become an Elder, like you?”

The old man chuckled. “A seer never gives away all his secrets.” He stood. “It is time for you to go now. Tomorrow, you will claim your birthright.”

He took the hint, and moved toward the door. “Do you have anything else to tell me before I leave?”

Roman’s lips spread into a slow smile. “What else would you like to know?”

Devin didn’t know if he wanted to discover anymore surprises. How could Roman deal with so much knowledge and not suffer from information and historical overload? “Goodnight, old friend.”

“Devin…”

He paused outside the home, and turned to find the Elder standing in the door frame.

“Sooner or later, you will have to give into the urges of your wolf side. He is stronger now than he’s ever been before. Not even as a child was your wolf this confidant. Only a true mate would bring out this much dominance in a wolf.”

“Why are you telling me this?” he asked.

“A wolf always knows his mate.”

The elder closed the door, leaving him standing in darkness among the sound of crickets.

* * *

Devin snuggled against Tamara, resting his chin on her shoulders and wrapping his arms around her tightly. She responded by moving closer to him in their spoon. His body was still heated from their rounds of sex, but she’d begun to shiver after they’d parted. The temperatures had dropped below freezing soon after he returned from visiting Roman. He had to remember that Tamara was only human and her temperature did not adjust that quickly to this type of weather.

She’d not fallen asleep yet. Devin could tell from her uneasy breathing.

“Tomorrow night is the Blue Moon,” he said.

“I know. Elisa told me.”

“What exactly did Elisa tell you?” Devin thought back to what Roman had said. With Elisa being a seer, there was no telling what she’d revealed to Tamara.

“She said that all the wolves would gather. It’s usually a time of celebration, but this one will end in disorder.”

Elisa was right. If he remembered correctly about how competitive his cousin was from their days as young pups, then he would not go down without a fight.

Devin swallowed hard. “I owe this duty to the Caedmon people.”

“I respect your decision.”

Was Tamara his true mate? It would explain why he’d been so drawn to her the night at the museum. There was this feeling to protect her like only mated wolves do. He’d had other women before, but before they could expect any sort of commitment he would break it off with them. Bachelorhood was better than having a broken heart in the long run. At least, that was his take on life until he bumped into Tamara. She awakened the urges of his wolf, a wolf who yearned for a life-long companion.

But how could it be possible that his mate was a human?

She sighed. “But, it’s obvious that I don’t fit in here.”

“It will take time for the Caedmon people to accept our union. I’m the bastard son of Daniel Caedmon and many still oppose me. My people have been betrayed many times in the past by pack members that have long been removed. There has always been hesitation to embrace change.”

“I don’t want to come between you and your pack. Knowing that you’ve broken a rule because I was selfish hurts me.”

“Your actions were not selfish. We both want each other. Let’s commit to be together and let the cards fall where they may. I want you in my life.” There would never be anyone else who completed him as Tamara did. He could not let her stray from him. Roman had been right; his wolf was very much compelled by her.

“And I want to be in your life.”

It was all he needed to hear, and his heart was reassured. He would claim her soon, but not during the height of this chaos.