The next two weeks brought torture unlike I’d ever known. Liam blindfolded me and brought me out of the caves that morning. I told him I’d never be able to find my way back even without the blindfold, but he insisted it was for my own safety as well as the others hiding below. When we reached the edge of the woods near my trailer park, my heart ruptured when I turned to say goodbye.

It had been like that ever since. Without Liam nearby, it was as if the air had grown thicker. Each rising of the wind, every car horn, I found myself jumping out of my skin listening for a wolf’s howl. It wasn’t me I worried about. Now that I had a sense of the danger Liam and the others faced from the Chief Pack, I couldn’t keep the nightmare scenarios out of my imagination. What if Liam were captured?

I busied myself at the clinic. Bess’s disorganization worked to my advantage. How she’d avoided being audited by the FDA boggled my mind. Once I’d committed myself to the task, stockpiling medication for Keara was easy. I started small with antibiotics and non-narcotic pain medication. Then, I grew bolder. With no idea how long Keara and the others might need to stay in the caves, I started thinking about helping her set up a mini operating room. Of course, someday she’d need someone qualified to run it.

“Everything okay back here?” Bess poked her head in as I stacked rolls of gauze in one of the supply closets. Her soft voice had me jumping out of my skin. I gave her a smile and went back to work.

“Just dealing with the drudgery, boss,” I said. “Same shit, different day.”

“Okay for you then. I’m going to head out. Taking a half day.”

I peered out from behind the cabinet. “You? Seriously? What gives? Hot date?”

The minute I said it, my heart dropped. We hadn’t seen a trace of Zeke lately, but I had kind of hoped Bess would stay single for a good long while. I didn’t think the Shadow Springs Vet Clinic could handle any more drama this month.

Bess’s odd expression spoke volumes. She was about to lie to me. “Nothing exciting. I just needed some time to myself. I haven’t even taken a vacation in over a year.”

Nodding, I finished stacking gauze and carefully stood. I’d pocketed several vials of canine insulin. Who knew what kind of medical crises Keara’s people might face?

She could help, I thought, looking more closely at Bess. It was one thing for Keara to administer pain meds and treat cuts and scrapes. But, if any of her people required more serious medical care, someone like Bess would be a godsend. I didn’t dare break Liam’s trust though. He made it very clear that the Chief Pack had spies everywhere, human and wolf.

“Good for you,” I said. “Take tomorrow off too, if you can. We can keep things under control around here. You don’t have any surgeries scheduled.” The minute I said it, I realized how badly I wanted her to. An entire day with Bess gone would give me gobs of time to put some plans in place about our next pharmaceutical shipment.

Bess gave me a crooked smile. “No. A half day is all I need for now. I don’t want to get too far behind.” She delivered the end of her sentence in a kind of sing-song voice as she turned the corner.

Blowing a hair out of my face, I turned back to the medicine cabinet and started making plans.

If Bess had been hoping for a quiet day after her brief alone time, the next day didn’t deliver. We had two urgent care admissions first thing in the morning. Pitbull vs. Doberman mix. The pit got the worst of it. Bess called Jason in to help her stitch up the poor thing’s nose.

“Sorry,” Jason said. “Don’t mean to leave you alone with the tech calls. You sure you don’t want me to reschedule?”

I shook my head. “I’m good. Go help her with the combatants. I’ve got things under control.”

My heart dropped as I looked out in the waiting room and saw the patients Jason left me with. Keara stood with her back pressed against the wall. She held a thin leather leash in one hand and my eyes traveled to the end of it. At a side glance, Jason probably thought it was a large husky. It’s what Keara had written on the intake sheet lying on the desk. I knew better.

Brady let out a keening wail as soon as Jason closed the door to the operating rooms and disappeared. I tried to swallow, but my throat had gone dry. Brady didn’t look good. When Keara stepped forward, Brady’s step faltered. He crossed one paw in front of the other then sidestepped. My heart raced. That kind of altered gait usually meant something neurological was wrong. Keara gave me a desperate look.

“Come on,” I said, forcing a cheery tone. “Let’s get you back in Exam One.” I cast a nervous glance around the corner. Jason and Bess were already in surgery. Tina was back in the recovery room with the Doberman. We were light on volunteers today. I got Keara and Brady into the room quietly.

As soon as I shut the door, I dropped the chart and went to my knees. I gently smoothed my hands over Brady’s snout and pulled his gaze up to mine. His eyes were cloudy, his pulse erratic.

“What happened to him?” I asked, peering up at Keara. She sank to the metal bench and buried her face in her hands.

“One of the Chief Pack members came into his grandfather’s grocery store this morning. He was alone. But, he got a little rough with Bernie. Accused him of price gouging out at the gas pump. It was all posturing. Brady got a notice the other day that he’s supposed to report.”

“Report?” I asked, straightening. Brady let out a pitiful whine and rested his head on his front paws. He was panting more than I liked, but his lids drooped and he looked like he was about to fall asleep.

Keara sucked in a hard breath. “He’s going to be fifteen soon,” Keara explained. “All able-bodied male shifters have to report to the Chief Pack. He’ll be asked to serve as a soldier.”

I looked back at Brady. His focus drifted in and out. I couldn’t tell if he was merely depressed or if there was something more serious going on medically.

“Wait here,” I said. I gave Keara a friendly smile and headed back to the supply room. Jason and Bess were still in surgery so I was able to easily grab the box of medication I’d set aside for Keara.

When I came back in, Keara was on the floor next to Brady. She held his head between her palms. He was still emitting a high-pitched whine. This wolf was in real pain.

“What is it?” I said, setting the box of meds on the floor. I joined Keara and pulled the pen light out of my pocket. The orbs had a milky quality I didn’t like. I felt along his chest, over his ribcage and further down, looking for enlarged glands or telltale signs of what might be wrong with him. Though I had become quickly aware that canine and shifter physiology bore little resemblance to each other, I went to my comfort zone.

“Come on back, Brady,” Keara said in soothing tones. “You know Molly’s here to help. You’re safe.”

Brady nuzzled Keara’s arm. He took in a great breath of air that caved in his chest. On instinct, I scooted back to give him room. Brady whined and shuddered. His head swung from side to side. Finally though, his fur began to retract, replaced with smooth flesh. It might take forever for me to grow used to the popping, bone-breaking sound of a shift. Liam did it with ease, taking no more time than the span of a blink. Brady though, the shift seemed to cause him agony. When he completed it, he lay on his side in a fetal position. The bones of his spine jutted out at sharp angles. But, he managed to get himself to his feet.

I grabbed one of the paper mats we kept on the exam table and handed it to him so he could cover his privates. Brady looked too ill to muster embarrassment though. He leaned his head against Keara’s shoulder. She made soft, cooing noises to comfort him. For as big as he was, at fourteen, Brady was really just a little boy.

I expected him to withdraw from my touch, but he didn’t. Gone was the stubborn kid from the other night who’d jammed his own shoulder back into joint. I ran my fingers along that shoulder and checked his range of motion. What drew my attention, though, were the angry welts along his other side. He also had deep bruising on both thighs and up through his groin.

“What on earth happened to you? Who did this?”

“No one,” Brady said, his voice a defensive snap. Keara gave him a look then slid out from under him.

“Is there somewhere we can talk in private?”

“Why bother?” Brady said, his voice cracking. “I know what I am, Keara. Molly had questions about the Chief Pack. Well, aren’t I a living answer? Take a good look. I’m a freak. I’m what they made me.”

“Brady!” Keara’s voice lowered to a hushed whisper, but her anger rose. She turned to me.

“Come with me,” I said. The exam room adjoined one of the labs. With Bess tied up in surgery for the better part of an hour, it would be quiet there. We left Brady sulking on the bench.

I shut the door behind me and rounded on Keara. She stood with her arms folded in front of her, her color nearly ashen.

“He’s not like Liam and Jagger,” I said, stating the obvious. “He’s weak. Why?”

“He gets picked on,” Keara said. “I guess you could call it a form of hazing, but the other shifters near his age constantly try to test Brady.”

“Liam said he’s been genetically engineered or altered somehow.”

Keara nodded. “Something like that. The Alpha dictates who breeds with whom. It’s not natural. There’s a reason regular Alphas are drawn to the mates they’re supposed to have. It’s a biological imperative that the Chief Alpha is trying to subvert so he can stay in power. It serves him to keep the other shifters in his pack weaker. Unfortunately, in Brady’s case, it’s a line too far. Shifting is torture for him. The other pack members his age taunt him. They beat him to see how much he can take. And in a few weeks, he’s supposed to report to the Chief Pack.”

I felt like I had needles stabbing through my gut. “What happens to him when he does?”

Keara walked toward one of the counters. She absently fingered a microscope. “I don’t know what happens there. They won’t tell me. I just know Payne and Gunnar got the worst of whatever it was. They’d be the ones to ask, but they’d never share it with me. I just remember how it was when we found them. They were broken. At first they seemed stuck in their wolves. Liam and Jagger are so strong. They’re all so strong. They’re meant to be Alphas. It’s why they pose such a threat to the Chief Pack.”

“Brady won’t survive it,” I said, feeling sicker by the second. “He’ll get weeded out. He’ll die.”

“That’s my fear,” Keara said. “And there are so many more like him. I’ve been trying to convince Bernie and Ellie to let me take him underground with us permanently.”

“And it’s the main reason you want my help,” I said.

Keara gave me a weak smile and came to me. She put a sisterly hand on my shoulder. “Yes. Once Brady and others like him live with us down there full time, they’re going to need care. I don’t know if there’s a cure or treatment, but I want to try.”

A heavy silence grew between us. Who was this woman, I wondered? She was soft-spoken and slight. Yet, she had iron strength running through her. She’d been willing to throw over her whole life for Jagger and these wolves But, something she said burned through me.

“Alphas. All of...your wolves in the cave.”

“Yes. You have to sense that yourself, don’t you? With Liam, I mean?”

I swallowed hard. My vision blurred and tears threatened to form. Yes. I sensed it. I sensed everything about Liam when he was near. When he wasn’t, a hole seemed to form inside my chest. It was as if I lived underwater waiting to come up for air.

“You said shifters are drawn to the mates they’re supposed to have?” My heart jackhammered inside of me.

I knew the pull she was talking about. I just couldn’t bring myself to face it.

Keara’s kind eyes gutted me. She looked at me as if she knew my deepest secrets. “Well, it’s like that with Jagger and me,” she answered.

“How did...how did you know?”

Keara’s eyes took on a dreamy quality. She took two steps back and leaned against the wall. She really was tiny. Though I was only maybe an inch taller, Keara was fine-boned with small wrists and collarbones that jutted out against the vee of her t-shirt. She was the physical opposite of Jagger. He was dark, looming, broad. She was light, her strawberry-blonde hair falling in waving wisps around her face. Light and dark. Sunshine and moonlight. And yet, anyone could see their connection. When they were in a room together, each seemed to orbit the other, always finding small ways to touch each other.

“I was born for Jagger,” she finally said. “It’s the best I can come to explaining it.”

“Did you know instantly?”

A hint of a blush rose high in her cheeks. “No. Actually, I didn’t.”

“Liam said you’d been...chosen for one of the Alpha’s generals.”

The dreamlike gaze left her face and Keara’s eyes grew hard. She pushed herself off the wall. “I would have died before I let that happen. Many girls have. But, many haven’t. Brady’s mother was one. She mated with one of the Chief Alpha’s right-hand men. They weren’t fated. It wasn’t natural. She was marked against her will.”

Marked against her will. Ice bled through me. Keara didn’t have to tell me anymore for me to understand. Still, she turned her head slightly so the scar she bore shone clear beneath the fluorescent lighting. Kera had a crescent-shaped mark at the base of her neck. Jagger had bitten her there. Her fingers went reflexively to it.

“Did it hurt?” I grew bold. I reached for her. Keara stood very still and let me, sensing what I needed. I traced the outlines of her scar. It was very faint, but raised at the edges. Tiny goosebumps ran down her neck at my touch.

“No,” she said, finally turning. “It didn’t hurt. If you can imagine, the craving for it hurt worse than the act of it. It was like a release, if you want to know the truth. But, that’s because Jagger is mine. We’re supposed to be together. For Brady’s mother, she was taken against her will. I can’t even let myself think about the hell that would have put her in. She was a prisoner to her wolf, not a partner. It drove her mad. That’s what happened to her. Did Liam tell you that? Brady’s mother found a way to end her life. She was that brave.”

“Brave? But look at Brady. He’s suffering. Surely having his mother nearby could have lessened that.”

Keara shrugged. “Maybe. But he also suffered from watching her having to submit to his father when it wasn’t her nature.”

“And that’s why Bernie and Ellie do so much to help you and the others. It’s their way of throwing a middle finger to the Chief Pack for what they did to their daughter?”

Keara raised a brow. “That’s a colorful way of putting it, but yes. And also because they’re hoping we can find a way to get Brady to safety.”

“Liam said something about that. The first night I came to the caves, he said Payne was out helping some other shifters cross the border into Ohio. Why don’t you all do that? Why stay behind?”

There was a scratching at the door as Brady grew restless. In another few minutes, Bess and the others might come in.

Keara took my hand again. “Jagger, Liam, Mac, Gunnar, Payne...you have to understand, you have to sense it. They are so much stronger than shifters like Brady. They were meant to lead their own packs as Alphas. Most of the rest of the Kentucky wolves are betas or omegas even. Easier to control. So yes, it makes them stronger. But it also puts them at the greatest risk. The Chief Pack can track and sense those boys unlike any others. They can’t get out, Molly. The longer they spend above ground, the easier it is for the Chief Pack to find them. Even if they did get out, they’d have nowhere to go. No territory to claim. They’d be hunted for the rest of their lives. Packs from other territories would try to drive them back. So, they do what they can. They help others to escape. They watch and wait.”

“Wait for what?”

A tear formed in the corner of Keara’s eyes. “I don’t know. The Chief Alpha can’t live forever. Rumor is he’s in his eighties. That’s an impossible age for an Alpha and he’s... If it’s true, no one knows how he does it. I think he draws strength from the wolves under his control.”

“Have you ever seen him?”

A shadow passed over Keara. The question brought fresh terror into her eyes. It was all the answer I needed.

I went to her, putting a light hand on her shoulder. Keara had told me so much, but she kept some secrets to herself. “Did he...oh, Keara. The wolf you were meant for. Did he force himself on you?”

Sniffing, she ran a hand beneath her nose. “No. It didn’t come to that. Thank God. And thank God Jagger never knew who he was. Even now, he’d try to kill him. It wouldn’t matter to him that doing so would be so dangerous for all of us.”

“That’s your biggest fear, isn’t it?”

She nodded. “That wolf is so strong, Molly. Not as strong as the Alpha, but I think he’s strong enough to make any of our wolves submit to him. They can’t get close to him. They can’t. Not ever. And the Alpha, he can’t live forever.” This time, her voice dropped to a terrified whisper.

“Where is he? I mean...who is he?”

Keara brushed a hair from her eyes. “No one speaks his name. There are rumors, but the Pack keeps that secret to protect him.”

“What are they afraid of? If he’s so strong, what does it matter if anyone knows his identity?”

I didn’t get a chance to hear her answer.

“Keara!” Brady shouted from the other side of the wall.

“He’s got to shift,” she said. “I’ve got to get him back to his grandparents. The Pack’s going to come looking for him.”

“Come on,” I said. “You can go out the back.”

She put a hand on my arm. “Thank you. Molly...I know how much you’ve risked already. You barely know me.”

I reared back. She was right, of course. But somehow, Keara was starting to feel like family. We walked into the exam room together. Brady had already shifted. His baleful eyes tore at me. As much as I felt for him, it strengthened my resolve. I picked up the box of medication and handed it to Keara. It felt woefully inadequate for what was to come.

“Next week,” I said. “I’ll try and get so much more.”

Keara smiled and leaned in to hug me. “I’ll have to send Liam,” she said.

My heart tripped. I couldn’t hide my gasp for air at the mention of him. So much of what Keara said drummed through me.

Fated mates. That’s what she’d called Jagger. Her heart beat for him. God. Is that what Liam was to me?

“It’ll be all right,” Keara said, answering the question I hadn’t voiced. She put a gentle hand on Brady and the two of them disappeared into the alley.