Eli cut into the trailer park faster than he should. Gravel spun out from beneath his tires, shooting in all directions. He slammed on the brakes when he reached my place, and we both hopped out of the truck. He moved to retrieve Violet while I went inside to get Gran. There was a light on in the living room, which gave me hope she might still be awake.

When I stepped inside our trailer, I spotted her in the recliner, reading one of her romance novels while sipping tea. Her mouth flew open when she glanced up from her book at me.

“Oh my, what happened?” she insisted as she tossed her book aside and leaped from her chair.

“I’ll explain everything later. If I can,” I insisted, knowing I might not be able to give her any details. Pack law was pack law. Anything I said had to be given on a need-to-know basis only. I grabbed hold of her arm and pulled her toward the kitchen where she stored her herbal remedies. “We found Violet, but she’s hurt.”

The sound of Eli coming up the steps floated to my ears. I rushed to the door and held it open for him.

“How did you find her?” I heard Gran ask. “How bad is she hurt? What happened?”

“Where should I set her?” he asked once he’d stepped inside.

“On the couch,” I said, ignoring Gran’s questions. My answers would have to be carefully thought out. I didn’t want to get into any trouble with the alpha. I also didn’t want Eli to get into trouble either.

“What happened?” Gran asked again. “I’ll need to know some specifics so I know what to use to heal her.”

“She’s bruised up. There are a few scrapes, and I think she might’ve been drugged. Her ankle seems to be the worst of it, though.” I stepped to where Gran was and held out my arms, ready for her to fill them with any herbs and concoctions she could use to heal Violet. “It looks like it’s been broken and healed the wrong way.”

Gran passed me jars of flowers and herbs before bending at the waist to retrieve a ceramic bowl from a cabinet beneath the sink. I watched as she filled it with water, then motioned for me to make my way to the couch along with her.

“All right. I need to set that ankle right. Which means I’ll need to rebreak it,” Gran insisted. She placed the ceramic bowl of water on the coffee table. I did the same with the herbs she’d passed me to hold. “Eli, I want you to go to the hall closet and grab a sheet. The poor girl is freezing. Mina, grab a few elderflowers and some yarrow flowers and put them in the bowl of water for me while I better access her ankle.”

I did as I was told, and so did Eli. When he came back with a sheet, I’d already made a poultice of the flowers like Gran had asked. The consistency was lumpy, but maybe that was how it was supposed to look.

“Oh, the poor dear. This looks awful. What happened to her? Do you know who did this?”

My eyes shifted to Eli, unsure if I was allowed to say anything. This had been pack business after all.

“Violet was abducted. We know who it was, and you can rest assured they’ve been dealt with,” Eli said, sounding more professional than I’d ever heard him before.

“Okay,” Gran said plainly. Her gaze had drifted to me, but I couldn’t meet her stare. “And, the two of you were working together on this?”

“Yeah. We were,” Eli answered again.

When Gran didn’t say anything this time, I risked a glance at her. A small smirk had spread across her face. Why was she smiling? Was she happy to hear Eli and I had been working together, or was it because we’d obviously been spending time together?

Violet squirmed and released a moan. Gran’s touch must have hurt her.

“Mina, is that poultice ready?” Gran asked.

“I think so,” I said even though I never could tell with these things.

“I’m going to need the two of you to hold Violet down. If she’s already starting to come out of her drug-induced haze, she’s going to feel what I’m about to do and react. I need you to hold her steady so I can make sure to create a clean break. I only want to do this once, the poor child has been through enough,” Gran insisted.

I stood and leaned over the bottom portion of Violet’s body while Eli pressed against her shoulders, making sure she laid flat on the couch. She wiggled at the feel of pressure on her, but not enough to cause an issue.

“Shhh, it’s Mina. You’re at my Gran’s, and you’re safe. We need you to hold still. Gran needs to reset your ankle,” I said in case she could hear me. I wanted her to understand we were trying to help her.

“Hold her tight,” Gran insisted. That was all the warning she gave before she jerked Violet’s ankle as hard as she could.

A loud crack echoed through the trailer, causing me to wince. Violet bucked against us and she cried out. Her scream blasted my ears. I felt horrible for holding her down, but I also knew it was necessary.

“You can release her now,” Gran said, reaching for the ceramic bowl of mush she had me make. “Once I put this on her ankle she should feel instant relief.”

I released my grip on Violet and noticed when Eli did the same. His face had contorted with worry for her, and I knew he felt as horrible as I did for having to hurt her any more than she already had been. I shifted my gaze from him to Gran, watching as she pasted Violet’s swollen ankle with a thick layer of soggy flowers.

“You two are next. Don’t even think about going anywhere.” Gran cast a pointed gaze to me and Eli. “I can tell from looking at you, Mina, you’ve got a broken nose. And, Eli, that cut above your eye needs to be cleaned before it gets infected. First things first though, I need a hot mug of water, some dandelion root, red clover blossoms, and burdock root to clean this poor girl’s blood. Whatever she was given is bogging her down.”

I headed to the kitchen, thankful for something to do. It helped keep everything I was feeling at a distance a while longer. If not, I might break down in front of everyone.

Once I gathered a mug of hot water and the herbs Gran had requested, I watched as she created a dull amber-colored tea.

“Lift her head. She needs to drink this,” Gran insisted.

Eli lifted Violet’s head, and I watched as Gran coaxed her to drink the tea. Once she was finished, Violet lay against the pillows and snored softly. Gran shifted her attention to me next.

“Follow me,” she insisted as she stood.

I followed her to the kitchen where she proceeded to fix my nose. Her touch sent pain radiating through my head, but I knew she wasn’t trying to hurt me. She was only assessing the damage.

“It’s broken,” Gran insisted. Without warning, she reached up and popped it back into place.

White hot pain shot through me as blood trickled down my face onto Eli shirt again. If it hadn’t been ruined before, it damn sure would be now. He needed to throw in the trash or burn it. I, for one, didn’t want any reminders of this night lying around.

“There. Now you need a hot shower and a good night’s sleep. Both of you,” she said as she shifted her attention to Eli. She cleaned the cut above his eye and leaned forward to give him a kiss on the forehead before motioning for me to step closer for one too. “I’m proud of you two. I don’t know the whole story, and I’m sure you can’t tell me, but I want you to know I’m proud of you for rescuing that little girl. Her parents will be so happy you did. The entire pack will be. You did a good thing tonight, and I thank you.”

I didn’t say anything because I didn’t know what to say. We’d killed a man tonight in our efforts to rescue one of our own. Was that something to be proud of?

“Thanks,” Eli said as he ran a hand through his hair. Was he as distraught as I was over the night’s events? “I think I’m gonna head home. I’ll talk to you later, Mina.”

Eli started toward the front door, and I wasn’t sure if I should go after him. I took too long deciding, and he slipped through the door and out of my view.

“Go take a shower, honey. Give yourself some time to decompress. I can sense you’ve been through a lot tonight.” Gran gave me one more kiss on the forehead before gently pushing me toward the hall.

I gave in to what she was suggesting and grabbed my favorite tank top and a pair of jogging shorts before heading to the bathroom. My nose pulsed with my heartbeat as I bent over the bathtub to adjust the water. I was grateful for speedy werewolf healing, knowing tomorrow I’d wake up and my nose would be fine, or at least close to it. Pain was not something I could tolerate.

I peeled my clothes off and stepped into the shower without glancing at myself in a mirror. There was no way I wanted to see myself. I could feel how awful I looked.

As soon as the warm water hit my shoulders, I relaxed for the first time all night. This slip up caused emotions I’d been fighting to keep at bay to bubble to the surface. They washed over me in massive waves before I could secure my wall back in place. Images of Eli snapping Drew’s neck flashed on repeat behind my closed eyes. I knew he’d done it to protect me and the pack, but I couldn’t help but feel sick. Killing Drew made us no better than him.

My mind drifted, repeating the horrible sound and the look on his face as I washed.

A knock at the door sounded.

“Mina, honey, are you all right?” Gran’s soft voice filtered through the door.

“Yeah, I’m okay,” I shouted as I turned the water off.

I was okay. I was safe. I was home.

“Okay. Just checking.” Her retreating footsteps sounded and I exhaled a slow breath.

How long had I been in the shower? It didn’t seem like it would have been long enough to worry her.

I dried myself off and pulled on my clean clothes. With my hair still dripping, I glanced at myself in the mirror.

Failure glistened behind my eyes.

Not because we’d been forced to kill Drew, but because I knew this wasn’t over with yet. We weren’t able to rescue Glenn.

We’d saved one pack member, but not the other.

Glenn hadn’t been there. How on earth were we going to find him?

Violet. Maybe she would be able to tell us something once she finally came to.

My feet propelled me out of the bathroom and toward the couch where she slept. It would probably be another day or two before she woke, and even then, who knew when she’d be ready to talk.

A knock at the front door startled me.

“Could you get that for me, dear?” Gran asked from where she stood at the kitchen sink, washing the ceramic bowl we’d used earlier.

“Yeah. Sure.” My voice was flat. I was numb as I started toward the door. Exhaustion was creeping through my body, but not through my mind. It was still churning.

When I opened the door, the last person I expected to see again so soon stood there.

Eli’s hair was wet, dripping down his neck onto the collar of his shirt as he stood on my porch. He’d changed clothes and I could smell his shampoo, or was that his body wash, on him. I loved that smell whatever it was. It had things stirring to life inside of me I didn’t think should be considering our night.

“You forgot this in my truck,” he said, holding out my cell. “There are a few messages I thought you might want to answer.” His eyes dipped to his shoes.

I took my cell from him but didn’t check to see who they were from. Instead I clutched it in my hand and crossed my arms over my chest, suddenly aware I was standing before him braless. Not that it should matter, he’d seen me naked before, but somehow it did.

“So…are you okay?” Eli asked. There was a weight to his words. I knew why.

“Yeah. I mean, as okay as I can be, I guess.” I shifted around on my feet. “I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep for a while, though. I’m still pretty keyed up.”

The ghost of a smile quirked at the corners of his lips. “Me either. You’re always welcome at my place. I don’t think I’ll be heading to bed anytime soon.”

I glanced over my shoulder. Violet was still passed out on the couch and Gran was in the kitchen.

“You don’t need my permission,” Gran said as though she could feel my eyes on her.

I licked my lips and shifted back to face Eli. “Let me get some shoes.”

“Okay. I’ll wait here.”

I headed to my room and slipped on a bra and some flip-flops. My phone called out to me. I was curious if it was Gracie or Alec who’d messaged me.

It was Alec.

Movie was great. You would have liked it. Call me tomorrow. Maybe we can do something?

I set my phone on top of my dresser. I’d reply tomorrow. I didn’t have it in me tonight to talk to him. There was so much more on my mind than the latest movie playing at the theater.

Smoothing my fingers through my wet hair, I made my way back to the front door. Gran didn’t say a word when I left. Eli stood at the hood of my car, waiting when I stepped outside.

“Want to have a fire?” Eli asked as we walked side-by-side to his trailer.

I tucked my wet hair behind my ears and glanced at him. “Where?”

“My place. I found a big burn barrel leaning up against the trailer when I moved in.” Eli grinned. “There’s some evidence we need to get rid of tonight, don’t you think?”

I remembered the dingy shirts of Drew’s we’d used to clean up the scene of his death. “Can you burn a rag with bleach on it?”

“It’s probably not the healthiest thing to burn, but as long as we aren’t huffing the smoke, I think we’ll be okay.”

“I doubt I’ll be doing that.” I chuckled.

“Me either. I think will be good.” He motioned for me to sit in one of the bag chairs he’d bought recently once we reached his place. “Take a seat. I’ll drag the barrel around.”

I sat and folded my legs beneath me. My gaze drifted to the star speckled sky as I inhaled a deep breath. I couldn’t believe how my night had gone. I’d watched the life fade out of Shane’s brother’s eyes and helped to rescue Violet. God, I’d been so worried about her when I learned she was missing.

“All right,” Eli muttered as he dropped the barrel in front of me. “Let me get the rags from inside. I’ll be right back.”

“I’ll be here,” I said, tucking my hands beneath my thighs. It was cooler out now that my hair was wet and I was in a tank top and shorts. Part of me thought maybe I should head home for a sweater and the blood-soaked T-shirt Eli had let me borrow earlier tonight, but I was too comfortable to move.

“Want me to grab you a sweater?” Eli asked when he stepped out. “You look cold.”

“Yeah, that would be great. I’m a little chilly.”

“Sure.” Eli tossed the rags in the barrel and started up the stairs again. He came back a few minutes later with a gray hoodie draped over one arm and a jar of moonshine in his hand. I was pretty sure it was one we’d taken from Drew’s. “I think we deserve a drink after everything we’ve been through tonight. I know you might be upset still about what happened, but we made damn sure no one in our pack would be hunted by Drew again. And we rescued Violet from who knows what horrendous things she might’ve had to endure once she was sold to whoever Drew’s buyer was.”

I swallowed hard, ignoring the comment about Drew’s death, and nodded in agreement instead. “Yeah, I think a drink is in order.”

Eli handed me his hoodie. I pulled it on, and inhaled the scent of him that lingered in the woven fabrics. There was something about it that calmed me in a way I couldn’t explain.

I watched as he struck a match and tossed it into the barrel. The t-shirts went up instantly and relief trickled through my shoulders and chest at the sight of them burning. All traces that could lead to Eli, me, or the pack were now gone.

“There, now we can put tonight behind us,” Eli said as he made his way to the chair beside me. He sat and stretched his long legs out in front of him before opening the moonshine. He held it out to me before taking a sip himself. “Here, have a sip and then tell me what’s going on in that pretty little head of yours.”

My lips worked into a small smile as I took the jar from him. “I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?” He flashed me a skeptical look.

“Yeah. I don’t know what’s going on in my head right now,” I said as I put the jar to my lips. I downed a large gulp, not caring what flavor it was. My throat burned as the white lightning slipped down. The apple pie had burned, but this crap felt like lava.

“Whoa, take it easy.” Eli laughed. “Maybe I should’ve warned you it wasn’t flavored. No apple pie this time, just straight up Southern moonshine.” He took the jar from me and put it to his lips. When he took a swig, I noticed his eyes water. “Whew, that crap is strong.”

“Yeah, I can’t feel my tongue, and I think my throat might actually be on fire.” Each breath seemed to flame it.

Eli agreed, then we lapsed into silence. My eyes zeroed in on the orange flames licking the inside of the barrel.

“I can’t believe we found her,” Eli whispered after some time had passed. “But what I really can’t believe is that she was stuck in a damn cage like an animal.”

“I’m sure that’s how Drew thinks of us,” I said, unable to keep the disgust I felt toward him from leaking into my words. “I’m upset Glenn wasn’t there, though. I feel like we let him down.”

“We didn’t let him down,” Eli insisted. His warm gaze drifted over my face. “We’re closer to finding him now than we were before.”

“How do you figure that?”

“We rescued Violet. She has to know something.”

I pulled the sleeves of his sweater over my hands. “Yeah, but who knows when we’ll be able to ask her anything about it. She’s passed out, and I’m sure she’ll be shaken when she does wake.”

“She’ll come to soon. Of course she’ll be shaken, but she’ll talk. I’m sure of it.”

I wished I could be as calm and collected about all of this as he was, but I couldn’t. I felt like we’d let Glenn down from the beginning. I didn’t see how we could be any closer to finding him than we were before.

“We already know he wasn’t at Drew’s,” Eli said, pulling me from my thoughts. “We have the other brother’s address. All we need to do is check his place.”

“And what if Glenn’s not there? What then?”

“We’ll figure something out.” Eli reached for my hand. I slipped it free from the sleeve of his sweater and let him intertwine his fingers with mine. His warm touch was like a sedative. One that was instantaneous, and I knew would end up being highly addictive. “We’re going to find him, Mina. We’ll bring Glenn home like we did Violet, even if it means taking down the other brother and whoever the hell is in charge of this whole thing along the way.”

I nodded, agreeing with him, because deep down, I knew this wasn’t a situation I could let my emotions get the best of me in. I could only let them fuel me.

Our pack was being hunted, and I needed to find out why and who was running the show.

I leaned back in my chair and gazed up at the sliver of a moon hung low in the night sky, knowing that whatever it took I’d find the answers to both questions.

Even if it killed me.