It didn’t take her long to get back into the swing of things. Before she knew it, she was slinging drinks, taking orders, and delivering hot plates to co-eds on winter break as if she’d been born to it.

She and Zoe worked together surprisingly well, which seemed to please Mitch to no end. He kept hinting to Amara that maybe he should make it a regular thing, to which Amara’s answer was to repeatedly smile and grind her teeth.

At one point, she managed to corner Mitch and asked about her sister.

Frowning, Mitch scratched his head. “Yeah, she’s come in a few times. Usually with that guy she’s been dating.”

Amara’s heart sank. “So they’re still together?”

“Looks like it.” He shook his head. “I don’t like him, Amara.”

“No.” She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to push the worry aside until she could do something about it. “I don’t like him either.”

A little after midnight, the heavy door opened again. In walked Nate and Ian, the two Pack guards from the compound. Both were dressed like the typical Strathford blue collar worker. She knew they rarely made it into town except when they were on patrol—usually on Nova’s orders. They both found seats at the end of the bar.

Amara saw Zoe catch their eye and start to move towards them, but she shook her head. “Those are mine.”

“Why?” Zoe wanted to know, her pretty face pinching into a frown.

“Because I know them.” Zoe’s lips puffed out in a pout. Amara suppressed a sigh. Pouring two beers from the tap, she set them in front of Nate and Ian. “How’s your night going, boys? Nova put you up to this?” Nate began to stutter while Ian just smiled sheepishly at her. He was the quiet one, and she liked him all the more for it. “I see.” She was trying hard not to be annoyed. “So, because he knew I would kill him if he hovered around here all night, he sent you two instead. Does he really think I need a babysitter?”

“He’s just worried, Amara,” Nate assured her. She tried to remind herself that they all had good intentions. Nate and Ian were just doing their job, and Nova? Well, in his own way, he was doing exactly what she asked. He was giving her the space she had asked for. She supposed she would just have to be grateful he wasn’t babysitting her himself.

Shouts sounded from outside. The door crashed open and three men poured in. Amara recognized them as the Jones brothers; they lived on their family farm on the outskirts of Strathford. The eldest, Clarence, swiped his hat from his head. His chest was heaving. Clarence grabbed Sam’s arm for support. “Help,” he wheezed. His face was turning red from the exertion. “You’ve got to help me. Donny’s outside. It…it got him.”

Silence fell.

Amara threw the towel she was holding down on the bar. “Oh, shit.”

The wolf attacks had risen to a new high in the last few weeks. Her town was being terrorized, and she knew the Valley Clan was at fault. It hadn’t been this bad since before her father was killed by wolves—and she’d been twelve years old at the time. The Elders of the Strathford Council had rallied and nearly decimated the wolf population in the area. Or so they thought. Now, with the attacks growing fiercer and bolder by the day, the town was damn near in panic.

The patrons in the bar began to move. There were shouts and the sharp shuffle of chairs as people rose to their feet. Amara shared a quick glance at Mitch, who immediately turned to Zoe and told her to keep order in the bar, before disappearing into the back room.

Amara turned to Nate. “Call Nova. Ian, come with me.” Without waiting for a response, she hurried out from behind the bar, Ian at her heels. Mitch met her at the door and handed her a shotgun. She checked to make sure it was loaded, then went outside.

There was already a crowd on the street. She could hear Donny’s screams from down the block, but nobody had stepped forward to help yet. Amara pushed to the front of the crowd and ran toward the commotion.

Donny lay on his back, thrashing and screaming. He was covered in blood. The wolf was circling around him, periodically darting in to bite or scratch, amid new screams from Donny.

Rushing forward, Amara squeezed the trigger and shot her gun into the air. The wolf froze. Squaring her shoulders, she stood her ground and leveled the barrel at him. The wolf growled low in his throat. His light brown fur bristled down his spine.

Nate and Ian stepped up on either side of her. She could feel the energy coming off of them. They wanted to attack, to kill the other wolf. He was their enemy after all. But shifting in front of humans was forbidden.

“I’m going to shoot,” Amara muttered from the side of her mouth. “But I’m going to miss. Follow him when he runs off and take him down.” She felt, rather than saw them nod. Once again, she levelled the gun at the wolf. This time, when she fired, he jerked back with a yelp. She knew, without a doubt, that she had grazed him. Sure enough, as he clambered to his feet, blood seeped through his brown sugared fur. A low growl rumbled from his throat, and there was a dangerous glint in his eyes. With his version of a canine sneer, the wolf loped off, disappearing into the dark alley across the street.

Amara peered over at Nate and Ian. “Go.” They went. She rushed over to Donny. He was unconscious. Kneeling down, she searched over his wounds. He was pretty torn up. His arms were covered in deep gauges from the wolf’s claws beneath the shredded remains of his flannel shirt. Blood coated his throat. She leaned forward to get a closer look. Amara blanched; her skin went clammy and pale. The wolf hadn’t just gone at Donny’s arms, he had gone for the jugular and damn near succeeded.

As quickly as she could, she put her hands over the wound and pressed down, applying pressure. She glanced up at Mitch who was standing over her shoulder. All the blood had rushed from his face. “Mitchell, call an ambulance.” He just stood there. “Now, Mitch!”

Suddenly hearing her, Mitch jolted, then hastily fumbled through his pocket for his phone.

Amara fought through the repulsion and attempted to find a pulse. Please let him be alive, she thought. Please let him be alive. There. It was weak, that’s for sure, but it was there. Thank goodness.

In the distance, a siren blared and Amara sighed in relief. They were coming. “Hold on, Donny,” she murmured to his still form. “Just a few more minutes now.”

She waited until the ambulance got there, then quickly stood and relayed the sequence of events to the EMT. She stepped aside and stood next to Mitch as they shifted Donny to a stretcher and loaded him into the ambulance. Mitch wrapped his arm around her shoulders as the doors slammed shut and the ambulance drove away.

Amara stared down at her hands. They were saturated with blood. She shuddered. Shrugging off Mitchell’s arm, she started for the bar. She needed to get clean.

Mitch frowned, concern filling his eyes. “Mara, are you okay?”
“Yeah, I just…I need to…” Unable to continue, she fled, but when she reached the door, she was shaking so hard she couldn’t get it open.
“Amara!”

“Oh, thank God.” Turning, she all but fell into Nova’s arms.

He rubbed her back in soothing circles. “I knew I shouldn’t have let you come to work by yourself tonight.”

“Nova, don’t.” She pulled back and heaved a sigh. “Look, right now, all I want is to get this off my hands. I need…I need to be clean, but I can’t even open the damn door.”

Though it appeared to take some effort, Nova pursed his lips and nodded. Opening the door for her, he followed her as she threaded through the tables and chairs, straight to the bathroom. Reaching over her, he turned the knob of the faucet, then stood back while she washed her hands.

“I’m sorry,” he muttered, staring at her.

Amara met his eyes in the reflection of the mirror. “Don’t do that. I can already see what’s going on in your mind, Nova Lowery. But I’m not going to let you lock me up on the compound again. This isn’t your fault,” she stated, effectively cutting him off. Nova’s mouth closed as if in slow motion. “You sent Nate and Ian to watch me. I should have expected that. But they did as you asked. Look at me; I’m fine. I’m safe. But they couldn’t know that the attack on Donny would happen right outside. And neither could you.”

Drying her hands, Amara turned around and went to Nova. She placed her hands in his. “This isn’t your fault. This is Kal’s fault. Him and his entire pack. They’re the ones who have been attacking people. They’re the ones who have been terrorizing my town. Not you. You and your pack, you’re the ones who have been trying to protect us—for decades. So, I don’t want you blaming yourself. I mean it,” she said, catching his look. “I won’t accept it.

“Now.” She placed her hands on her hips, and a slow, steady smile crept across her lips. “Take me home, would you? My home? I really want to sleep in my own bed.”

Though she could tell it pained him to do so, Nova slowly loosened his control and let out a sigh. Wrapping his strong arms around her, he pulled her to him. Her head rested against his chest, and she fell quiet as she listened intently to the sound of his heart.

“You shot a gun,” he said, his voice strained.

She smiled. “Yes, I did.” Though she couldn’t prove it, she felt him suppress a chuckle. She was winning, and they both knew it.

Finally, Nova pressed his lips against her hair. “Alright, Shooter, you win. Let’s go home.”

 

When they pulled up to her house, she was surprised to find the light on. She felt Nova tense beside her. “Wait here,” he ordered. Yet, before either of them could get out of the car, the front door opened and Sadie stepped out.

Amara felt a rush of relief and hurried up the porch to meet her. “You are the last person I expected to see,” she said, wrapping her little sister in a hug. To her surprise, Sadie hugged her back. “I thought you were still mad at me.”

Sadie offered her a small smile. “I’ve had two weeks to be mad at you. I’d like my sister back now, please.” She grinned at Nova as he passed.

“I’ll be upstairs if you need me,” he told Amara. Grateful, she nodded. She waited until he had disappeared down the hall before returning to the conversation. “Look, Sadie, about last time.”

“No,” Sadie said, raising her hand to cut her off. “No, I’m sorry about last time. I shouldn’t have accused you of being jealous. I know you were just looking out for me.”

Surprised, Amara raised a brow. “You do?”

“Sure. You’re always looking out for me. This time was a little misguided, since Kal is a great guy and an amazing boyfriend, but I know you meant well.”

Frowning, Amara opened her mouth to say something, but Sadie shook her head again. “I don’t want to fight, okay?” Sadie took both Amara’s hands in hers. “I know you don’t like Kal. But I like Kal. A lot. And I love you. So, can’t you just try to get along? Please? For me?”

Try to get along with the man who had tried to kill her and her boyfriend on multiple occasions, the man who was only sleeping with her sister to get to her? Sure, she could do that. Why not?

Heaving a heavy sigh, Amara forced a smile. Pretending to get along with Kal and keeping Sadie close would be far better than refusing and pushing her straight into his arms anyway. “Okay,” she conceded, “but let’s get one thing straight. I am not jealous about Kal. And I don’t trust him. At all. And if he hurts you, I will kill him.” She pointed a finger into her sister’s laughing face. “No joke.”

“Noted.” Grinning, Sadie wrapped her up into another hug and bounced to the door. She sent a meaningful look down the hall. “If I were you, I would hurry up and join Mr. Sexy in your room.” She waggled her eyebrows, and Amara couldn’t help but laugh. “Have fun!”

Amara waited until Sadie was safely in her car to slump down in a chair. Was she really making the right decision? Was it better to pretend to like Kal to keep her closer? The only one who would be fooled was Sadie. Still, if she could keep her close, maybe she could protect her when the other shoe dropped, as it inevitably would.

Sighing, she padded back to her room, to join Nova.