“It’s time for you to come to The Den to meet everyone,” Carter tells me at the breakfast table.

For the past three days, we’ve been exploring this newfound wolf inside me. Sex is out of this world amazing. Walks outside are so vivid and breathtaking. I thought it was before, but with the heightened sense of hearing and seeing, it’s so much better.

Going out as wolves together was strange at first, but it turned out to be like we’ve done this our whole lives—every move we made was in sync.

I never had anything as wonderful. Not to mention, those binds that connected Carter and I developed so strongly that I feel it in my soul and bones. He’s the man for me, now and forever.

“Okay.” I hadn’t thought about it lately, but meeting his family formally would be a good thing. “How many more are there besides the ones I’ve already met?”

“You have some of their mates, the elders, about twenty-five or so single male wolves, and ten single female wolves.”

A growl leaves me at the mention of the single female wolves, and Carter smiles.

“You know you’re the only wolf for me, baby.”

“Better be.” The wolf inside me snarls, baring her teeth. I have no doubt she’d take out anyone who came near Carter.

“We do have an Alpha bitch in the pack.”

More growls come from deep in my throat, and my wolf pushes to get out. It takes everything I have to keep her at bay. “And this means …?”

“Chances are, you’ll be challenged.”

“Challenged to what?”

“To fight, for me and for the Alpha position in the pack.”

Anger bubbles. “Did you think of telling me this at any point in our conversations over the last few days, Carter?”

“Know you’re pissed, but it’s pack law. I can’t change it or fight it. It’s how we operate.”

“So, you’re telling me that I’m going to meet your entire family, who may or may not like me, then I’m going to have to fight some Alpha bitch to keep you and stay alive?”

“Yes.”

He’s way too nonchalant about all this.

I stand abruptly, my wolf seeming to take control. “This is shit, Carter. If you think for one second some woman wolf bitch is going to come and try to take you away from me and my life, you’re sadly mistaken. Not to mention, I’m pissed as hell at you.” With that, I open the door to the back deck, strip my clothes, and let my wolf run free. I’ve learned in this brief time that this is the best way to calm her—letting her run.

My wolf feels happy she could express herself through me. Even I feel better that it’s out.

By the time I get back, Carter is on the phone. He ends it when he sees me.

“Better?”

“I’m still pissed at you, but my wolf is better.”

He stalks toward me and wraps his arms around me, pulling me to him. “You got this, Izzy.”

“You want one of your wolves to die? You want me to have to kill someone?”

“She knows it’s to the death, she knows. And if she doesn’t want to take that risk, she will bow down and not challenge you.”

“What about me? You’re okay with me dying?”

“Fuck no. I don’t want you to have to do this at all, but there isn’t a choice.”

“Aren’t you Alpha? Can’t you forbid it or something?”

“If I do that, it will make you come out as weak and my pack won’t respect you. That isn’t an option, Izzy. They have to know you, have to respect you, for this to work.”

“I can’t believe you’re taking me to your family and I could end up dead and not come back home.”

Carter growls. “No, you won’t die. Your wolf is damn strong, and you can hack this. You need to trust in yourself and your wolf.”

“How can you be this sure?”

“Because only Alpha female wolves can mate with an Alpha male. I’ve seen you out hunting.”

My gut twists at thinking about the bunny and raccoon I took on and ate. Ew. Still not used to that part of being a wolf. She loved it. Me? The aftertaste made me a little nauseous.

“You’d better hope so, because if I die after becoming a wolf for you, I’m haunting your ass until you join me on the other side.”

Carter laughs full-out. Asshole.

* * *

The Den is huge. No other way to put it. I’m not sure what I expected, but a huge-ass house that looks similar to a hotel wasn’t it.

As we enter a large, open room with couches and a television, all sounds stop. There must be fifty people in this room. Some I remember from the field, and a couple came to my house. Each of them have smiles for me.

“Alpha,” Owen calls out with a wide smile on his face. “Izzy, so good to see you. And you’re a wolf.”

He doesn’t come any closer, which I’m happy for. Something in my gut tells me that, if he got too close, Carter would pounce. I don’t want that to happen with his family. I may be pissed at him, I may be getting into a hell of a fight today, or dying, but I don’t want him not to have his family if I’m not here.

“Hi, Owen.”

Introductions go around. I note some of the females give me sideways glances, but not one has stepped forward to “challenge” me. I take that as a good sign.

“Hi, Izzy.” I turn toward the voice, and my heart drops as anger begins to bubble.

My realtor, Mr. Jacobs, and one of my lawyers, Mr. Simpson, stand there, hands at their sides. I can smell the worry coming off them. They should be worried. They so should be.

Without saying hi, my piercing gaze goes directly to my mate. “They’re in your pack? The two people who did the paperwork on the house, the house that you came with, are in your pack? You set all this up!” I accuse as he comes near me, and I take a step back.

“Izzy, we’re mates. I just had to make you see it.”

“By screwing with me!” Fire burns like lava in my veins. I feel my wolf pushing to get out. Not that she’d hurt Carter, and I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be able to, either. However, I’ve never been a quitter and don’t plan on starting now.

“You were human, Izzy. We had to get past that. Know you’re pissed, but you’ll get over it.”

“Get over it!”

“Well, well, well, what do we have here?” a sultry voice to my left catches my attention, and my fury moves to her. She’s beautiful in a way that she knows it, and I immediately peg her as the Alpha female.

“Izzy,” I answer.

“I didn’t ask your name, human,” she retorts.

“Hate to tell ya, but I’m a wolf now.”

She laughs. “Your wolf’s so new she won’t know what to do with a real wolf.”

Inside me, my wolf snarls and growls, snapping her teeth repeatedly, begging to come out. It takes serious strength, but I keep her back.

“Ya think?” I retort, not moving from my spot. No way the bitch is going to make me lose my ground.

“Oh, I know.” She pauses as she looks me up and down. “I challenge you … for your mate.” I growl as she looks at Carter and winks. “And position. You’re dead, human.”

Carter sighs. “Abbigail, you don’t need to do this.”

“Well, of course I do, sweetheart. You belong with me. In my bed, your cock inside me.” She stares me down.

Something clicks inside me and my wolf takes control, pushing through. I feel my body changing in a flash. Abbigail’s doing the same. Her wolf is dark brown to my almost white one.

As soon as we change, we circle each other, both growling and snarling.

Abbigail’s wolf charges, swiping her claw at my face. My wolf pulls back just in time, but she nicks the edge of my nose. With that one cut, the background fades around me.

Abbigail’s wolf comes at me again, this time her claws tearing into my shoulder. Inside, I feel that pain.

That’s when my wolf fully takes over the fight. While I’m still present, her instincts are what’s driving this. Her knowledge. She has full control, and as scary as it sounds, it feels good, because I know my wolf will protect us until her dying breath.

My wolf attacks, biting Abbigail’s hind quarters. Pain comes to my left leg at the same time, and I feel blood trickle down. Somehow, my wolf shakes this off, and my already pissed off wolf goes ballistic.

She lunges, attacking in such a vicious way that I’m in awe. There is no delaying.

The taste of blood enters my wolf’s mouth. She’s hungry for, yearning, wanting more of it on her tongue.

My wolf grabs Abbigail by the throat and yanks, snapping the bones, and the taste of blood trickles down our throat. It does not taste good to my human half, but it does to my wolf.

My wolf relishes in the lifeless body of the one who dared challenge her. Me, I try to pull back from that. It’s hitting me that I just took a life, and I’m not too sure I’m okay with that.

“Izzy!” Carter’s voice comes through as my wolf goes for another bite and pulls, wanting to make sure the wolf is dead and no longer a threat. It takes him calling me two more times for me to pull through my wolf.

I change back, blood covering me. A T-shirt is thrown over my body before Carter scoops me up in his arms. I’m too stunned to remember I’m pissed at him.

He takes me through The Den and into a room. Then I hear a shower turn on. He takes off my shirt, and seconds later, we are in the shower, where he sets me down and begins to wash me.

“I killed someone,” I whisper.

“Izzy, that’s the way of this world. We suffer losses just like everyone else. Like I said, she had a choice. She could have stepped back, but chose not to. It’s not your fault.”

“I’m not sure I can live like this, Carter.”

“Hate to tell ya this, but you’re in it now, baby.”

My head falls to his shoulder as the warm water hits my back. A bubble of sadness comes up, and I let it out, releasing myself from it. Something inside me washes it away. It’s like my wolf is taking over that particular feeling, knowing I can’t handle it. I begin to feel free. The anger I had for him dissipates, as well.

Is this what being with Carter will be like? One minute we’re pissed; the next calm? I think I can deal with that.

“Come on.” The water is turned off, and then Carter carries me from the bathroom, grabbing towels on the way. He sits me on the bed and dries me, then himself. I’m not even sure when he took his clothes off.

My core clenches.

“I love you,” I whisper.

He lays me down. “Love you so damn much, Izzy. We’ll make all this work—you, me, the pack. Swear it. You’re my forever.”

Tears prick my eyes. “You’re my forever.”

Carter then makes love to me.