“I have no charms. I'm boring. I like to read. There is nothing fun or exciting about me.”

“You have premonitions when you sleep.”

I release Paige and stumble back, landing on my butt. She’s stayed quiet throughout our conversation. I can only imagine what she’s going to say when we’re alone. “How did you...? I haven't told anyone.”

“We share premonitions.” Here we go. It’s like talking to Rion and only getting partial information.

Standing, I brush grass off of myself. “Huh?” What’s going on here? I swear every day and night something else is thrown at me, making me question the world as I know it.

“You're a dream watcher, too. Every pack has at least one—a person who can do as we do.”

“The Avynwood Pack isn't new. They probably already have a watcher or whatever it is you call it.”

He shakes his head. “They were without one. Lealla tries her best with her abilities, but they aren’t the same as ours.”

“So I'm the watcher for the Avynwood Pack, yet I'm not part of the pack? I'm a human. I don't know how many times I have to say this to everyone. I'm no one special.” How is it I’m the only one who sees how dull and boring I am? I fly well under the radar. That is, until I met Lealla.

“You have a shifter mate, Ariane. You're part of the pack, whether you think so or not.”

“Every day my life gets more and more confusing,” I mutter. Ford appears at my side, causing me to jump. “Do you always have to land right next to me?” I yell. “There’s an entire yard here and you pop in practically touching me.”

He ignores my question. “Princess,” he greets as his eyes focus on Wake. “You didn't invite me to the party? I'm a little hurt. Wake, I haven't seen you in years. I heard you found a new pack.” I don’t miss the bite in his tone.

“Ford,” Wake nods.

“Say what you came to say fast. Orion is hot on your scent.”

“Ariane,” Wake begins. “I'm in the premonitions with you but not in the same area. Run toward me. I'll howl next time I'm in one. Follow my call. I want you to pull me out of the premonition with you. Bring me to Ford's house. It will give us more time to talk.”

My eyes narrow. “Why should I trust you?” I don't know him at all, and he's asking me to take him to Ford's house? My life is like a bizarre movie that keeps me guessing up until the very end. I’m that confused person sitting in the back row of the theater, wondering if it will ever make sense.

“Ask Ford.” His head whips to the side. “I’ve gotta go.” He shifts back into a white wolf and runs into the night. Seconds later, Orion tears past us at a fast clip, right on Wake’s trail.

“Let's get Paige and you inside,” Ford says. “You can try to teleport all of us. It will be another lesson for you.”

“Seriously? You want me to learn now?”

“No better time than the present.”

Nothing like a nighttime lesson in teleportation. My parents could walk out here at any moment and see me standing in the yard with Paige all wide-eyed, like she’s seen a ghost, and some random guy next to her. That won't look suspicious at all.

Ford wraps an arm around Paige’s waist and places his other hand in mine. With him holding Paige, and me holding on to him, I can teleport them both. Visualizing my bedroom, I snap my fingers and we're standing in my room in under a second.

Walking to the bed, Ford gently helps Paige sit. She still hasn’t spoken a word, which is very unlike her.

I have to focus on Ford at the moment and what happened outside. “What was all of that? What's going on?” I hiss. I want to yell at Ford but can’t. The last thing I need is to wake my parents.

“We only have a few minutes before your boyfriend is back, calling for you. What I'm going to tell you, it's something he should say, but I fear he won't and you need to know. Wake and you are dream watchers.”

“Thanks, I knew that.”

“Most packs have a watcher who has premonitions and lets the alpha know if danger is coming. Or if someone will be hurt. Or if they’re getting a new member. It’s not always horrible, end of the world stuff. The Avynwood Pack used to have one—Wake. He’s Aries and Cassandra's son.” I gasp. Their son? I had no idea. It wasn't in any book. No mention of him at all. I would have remembered that name. And Rion never mentioned him.

“Why isn't he still in the pack?”

“Because he and Sevan both pursued the same mate. They both felt the mate connection with her. None of this made the book, by the way.” I remember Sevan's book. It was the last one released and really good. I loved him and Dalia together.

Ford continues, “In the end, her connection with Sevan was the true one. She didn't have sparks, or whatever you mates feel when you touch one another, with Wake. But he wouldn't stop. He insisted she was his mate. It wasn’t good. Even under Aries’ command, Wake wouldn't quit. He became violent with the other males. Lashed out at Aries and Orion. No one could reason with him. The whole pack was in a flux. Wolves thrive on the bond with their pack and mates. When one is disrupting the whole unit…” he shakes his head. “As the alpha, Aries has to make tough calls. The pack is his responsibility. When it came down to it, he knew Sevan and Dalia were mates. Aries had no choice but to remove Wake from the pack. It was best for the pack. Wake was angry. He wanted to get back at Aries for taking Sevan's side. So Wake did the one thing he knew would anger his father above anything else—he joined the Diaminsey Pack.”

“Holy...”

“Yeah, so you can imagine how Orion felt picking up Wake’s scent near you. It's not good. He'll see Wake as coming after his mate.”

“He wasn't. He was only talking to me. I think he wanted to help.”

“I know, but Orion won't see it that way. Wake wasn't angry just now. He seems to have calmed quite a bit since leaving the pack years ago. He appears more level-headed. I doubt he and Orion will ever be close again, though. Before everything happened with Sevan and Dalia, they were more than cousins. They grew up together and were best friends. Orion and Aries received a lot of hate from Wake when everything was going down. It wasn't good, nor do I think it's something they’ll easily be able to put in the past.” This is a lot to take in. It gives me a glimpse into Rion’s past I wasn’t aware of.

“People change, Ford. They grow up, mature. There might be a way to salvage their relationship if Wake has changed.”

“People maybe, but these are wolves, Ari. They act on pure instinct. Yes, they’re human, too, but they are their wolves. They are one and the same. Once Dalia and Sevan were officially mated, Wake should have let it go. But he didn't. Had Aries not been his father, I'm sure Sevan and Wake would have fought to the death.” I can't believe all I'm hearing. I’m living in a wolf version of a soap opera.

“Did Wake feel the spark with Dalia?” I ask.

“He said he did, but she didn't reciprocate. You can't force someone to be your mate. Both have to go into it willingly and accept the other.” Makes sense. No one should be forced into a relationship they don’t want.

I pace around the room, letting everything I've learned tonight sink in. Wake came to warn me. He wants to help. Should I do as he said? The next time I have a premonition, follow his call and go to him?

“Do you trust him?” I ask Ford.

“I have no reason not to. Sure, he was kicked out of the Avynwood Pack. However, I'm not a wolf. He never did anything to me. Yes, he hurt my friends, but he felt the mate connection with Dalia. I can’t fault him for fighting for whom he thought was his.”

“You have a point,” I say while tapping my finger against my chin.

“Of course I do.” He grins.

“You're really cocky, you know that?”

“It's part of my charm.”

“Do I take him to your house next time I have a premonition?”

He shrugs. “I can't tell you what to do, princess. You have to go with your gut. But I'll make sure to be home every night, just in case. You can teleport. I don't have to dream walk to make sure you're okay. You’ve been to my home. It will be an easy jump for you to make. If you want more answers, then maybe talking to him is a good idea.”

“He could be setting me up.”

“At my house? In the presence of a vampire who has age and skill over him? If he were going to hurt you, he would have done it tonight. You need to remember that you have a power he doesn't. That allows you to teleport anywhere. Even if he tries to trick you, drop him in the Avynwood mansion. That'll teach him.” Wouldn’t that be interesting? Wake isn’t only asking me to trust him. He’s trusting me in return. I could teleport him anywhere in the world. I could drop him in front of Rion or the entire pack.

“I think you thrive on drama,” I say.

“I do. When you're as old as me, you have to do something to keep yourself busy.”

“You’re not that old. You haven’t even been around for a millennium yet.”

“Says the girl who has only been walking this earth for eighteen years.” I roll my eyes.

“Okay, I'll give Wake a shot. If he screws me over, I’ll let Rion have him.”

He nods. “Don't tell Orion about your plan. His history with Wake will cloud his judgment, and rightfully so. Orion doesn’t think rationally when you’re around.”

I chuckle. “You’re telling me.”

“What we know for certain is that you're at the center of this pack war. How or why, I'm not sure. Take any advice you can get and maybe, just maybe, Wake has good intentions where you’re concerned. If he does, you could get insider information that could help give us the edge.”

“You'll have my back in case something goes wrong?” I need a fail-safe. Someone who I know will look out for me. Since I can’t count on Rion with this, I hope Ford will be there. I won't stand a chance against Wake on my own if he tries to harm me.

“I might tease you, Ari, but I will always look out for you.”

Stepping forward, I tuck my arms under Ford's trench and hug him. It’s not something I thought about doing, but a gesture to show him how much I appreciate all he’s done for me. He might annoy me to no end; however, he’s been here for me when I needed him.

Ford returns the gesture. Up close, he smells like leather and the salty ocean air. Peering down at me, he says, “You know, if you weren’t Orion's mate, maybe we could have...” He waggles his eyebrows.

I shove him back. “You had to ruin a perfectly good moment, didn't you?”

Paige chuckles behind me. I completely forgot she was there. I was off in my own little paranormal world. Ford and I turn to her.

“I’m not sure how to process what I’ve seen and heard tonight,” she says quietly. “I should be panicking. I should faint again. What I thought was fake is real. You,” she points to me, “can teleport? When did that happen? And you,” she directs to Ford. “What are you?”

I step in her line of sight. “There’s so much I need to tell you.”

She stands. “Ya think?” Rubbing her temples, her eyes hold mine. “I’m not dreaming, right? This is all real? There are wolf shifters? You can teleport?” The only thing to do is tell her the truth. She knows too much at this point. There’s no going back.

“No, you’re not dreaming. Yes, this is real. Wake is a wolf shifter. Ford is a vampire. The fact that I can teleport is very new. And what we read about in Lealla’s books are true. Well, for the most part. And you can’t tell anyone what you saw, will see, or what I tell you.”

She keeps rubbing her head. “I don’t know what to say.”

Ford steps up beside me, parts his lips, and lets his fangs descend. Subtle.

“I don't... Are those...? You’re a vampire?” Ford nods. “I thought you were hot!”

His fangs retract. “I still am. I'm the immortal kind of hot that can make every one of your desires come true.”

“Ewww!” I yell. “Could you not?”

Ford slaps his hand over my mouth. “Quiet, princess. You just disturbed Mommy.”

Panic settles over me. “Oh, no.”

Quickly, I shove Paige into bed and jump in beside her. Ford switches the light off before making himself scarce. I have no idea where he went. Paige pulls the blanket up over us a second before the door opens. Fake snores come from Paige.

I turn and blink a few times. “Mom?” I say in my best sleepy voice.

“Go back to bed. I thought I heard something. I didn't know Paige was staying over.”

“Last minute decision. I knew you wouldn't mind.” I fake a yawn.

“Not at all. Go back to sleep.” She quietly tiptoes out of the room and gently shuts the door.

A solid minute later, Paige throws the blanket off us. “You have some explaining to do.”