“Dammit,” I growled as I threw myself backwards on the mattress. In an instant, Howl had bounded into my room and leapt onto the bed. Before I could stop him, he started nuzzling my neck with his wet nose and licking my skin. I was so torn. On the one hand, Howl was sweet and comforting. On the other, Quinn was the cause of all my pain these days. Agonizing over whether or not he’d come around. The dread surrounding the impending full moon. We were days away. If we didn’t mate, I had no idea how I’d heal from this. The toll on my heart was greater than I could’ve anticipated. Decision made, I pushed him away. “Stop.” He continued to lick me. “Knock it off!”

He whimpered and sat back on his haunches. Then Howl laid down on the bed and stared up at me with sad eyes while he released an occasional whine. When my stance didn’t soften, he pawed at me.

I huffed and vaulted off the bed, then leaned against the wall, arms folded over my chest. Howl began to crawl toward the edge of the bed. “Knock it off,” I hissed.

There was knock on the door and when Lennie opened it again, Tanner and Gideon appeared, making my tiny house feel even smaller. Naturally, Tanner was the first to notice my irritation. “What’s bothering you, Alpha? We haven’t even talked about Dallas yet.” He leaned on my bedroom’s doorframe.

I glared at Howl. “The dog.”

“It’s true. She has been in a mood ever since Lennie let him in.” Shelby seemed both amused and confused. “You love Howl. Hell, you even took the time to name him. What gives?”

Thoughts swirled in my mind, but I needed to give them some explanation so we could focus on matters of more importance to the pack and leave my personal life alone. “Maybe I don’t want a part-time dog. Maybe I don’t want to feel used.” I paced in the few narrow feet of floor in my room.

Lennie stepped into view. “Savvy, he’s a dog. You get that, right? He’s a simple, silly dog.” She threw her hands in the air. “This is what dogs do. They come. They go. He has only been around a few days.” She shook her head. “Sometimes I don’t understand you.”

“Yeah, well I don’t understand…dogs.” I scowled at Howl. “Such a disappointment. I’d heard such good things about having a…dog. They’re supposed to be loving, caring, truly life-changing.”

“Different breeds have different personalities, different abilities,” Tanner murmured.

“Yeah, but this one looks to be a husky mix. What do you know about them?” My eyes never left Howl’s face.

“Well, they’re supposed to be super friendly, but terrible guard dogs. They would probably let a robber in if he offered to give them attention.” Tanner chuckled. “I bet this guy has other families. Maybe he has one life during the day and another at night. Did you consider that?”

“Oh, yeah, I considered it, but I don’t like it.” I squatted beside the bed and felt some satisfaction as he looked away, unable to face me. “See, I would expect loyalty and honesty. I deserve at least that much, don’t I?” I grabbed the sides of Howl’s head and forced him to look me in the eye. “Don’t I deserve every bit of forever?” He whined in response. “I do,” I whispered. “I need forever.” I laid my head on his for the briefest moment before pulling away. I couldn’t let myself get comfortable.

Gideon was the first to break the silence. “Are we still talking about a dog?”

“I was actually thinking the same thing,” Shelby murmured.

I growled as I released Howl and stood. “Of course. Don’t mind me. Blame it on the moon.” I shook out my arms before addressing them again. “Let’s focus on Dallas. What happened?”

Tanner’s eyes narrowed. He glanced briefly at Howl, then he nodded at me. “I guess it was after twilight.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Most everyone had gone out for a run, like normal. Only, we hadn’t left yet. We were waiting on Shelby, since you were gone.”

Shelby snorted then spoke in a low voice. “That’s not all they were doing.”

I groaned and rolled my eyes. “Lennie, you’re supposed to wait. One more moon.” In three steps, I stood before her. Then I reached out and grabbed her hands. “At least you found each other. At least he wants you. At least you know soon you’ll be mated. You’ll have forever together.” The tears burned behind my eyes, tears I couldn’t shed because there were too damn many people here. I inhaled deeply, lowered my lids, and tried to calm down enough to focus my attention on something other than Quinn. Blowing out the breath, I looked at Tanner. “Please continue.”

“Sorry, Alpha.” His cheeks flushed. “Anyway, we heard a noise outside and thought it was Shelby joining us, but when I peered out the window, I realized it was Dallas.”

“So, you think he has been coming back after we leave in the evenings?” I frowned, feeling rather idiotic that I hadn’t considered this possibility previously.

“It appears so.” Tanner wore a grim look.

“What is it? Then what?” My hands fisted at my sides impatiently.

He blew out a breath. “Then I tried to sneak out, follow him, to see what he was doing, but…” Tanner shrugged.

“What’s this?” I mimicked his shrug.

“Dallas disappeared. I can’t explain it. There’s no way, and yet he was gone. We looked everywhere.” Tanner shook his head.

I laid my fingers against my lips as I pondered the situation. “Out a door, a window, maybe?”

“The door was closed. The windows were closed and locked,” Lennie interjected.

I whipped my head around to look at her, my eyes narrowed. “And how would you know?”

Tanner leaned weakly against the wall. “I’m sorry, Alpha. She insisted on watching. I told her not to engage if she saw him.”

“Awesome.” I sighed. “It’s too dark for us to explore tonight. We’ll have to check Dallas’ cottage and the surrounding areas in the morning. There has to be a secret room, a secret passage, something.” I could feel them all looking at me. After the outburst with Howl and now this, they had to be questioning my sanity. “You have a better idea?” I fixed my stare on one after another. They averted their gazes and moved about uncomfortably. “Yeah, I didn’t think so.” I gestured for them to back down the narrow space.

“Get out?” Shelby questioned. “But it’s dark. And, apparently, there’s danger.” She paled and laid a hand on her chest. Gideon reached out, wrapped an arm around her waist, and pulled her against his side. As I watched, her color returned and she calmed down.

My head dropped to my chest. Howl nuzzled my palm, but I jerked my hand away. “No, you’re not leaving.” I sighed. “Let’s talk out there. Sit at the dining room table.” They all did as I suggested, giving me a moment to regroup. “Listen, I know you have every reason to doubt me. We’re in uncharted territory.” Before I could even fully formulate my thought, I was interrupted.

“For what it’s worth, I don’t doubt you.” Gideon grinned. “I haven’t known you long, but you’ve proven yourself a formidable opponent. Given our common interests, I’d rather the March Pack and the Phoenix Pack become friends. Oh, and for more than the obvious reasons.” He pressed his lips against Shelby’s temple. “I’m sorry. I can’t help it. I have no explanation.” Even as he apologized, Gideon pulled Shelby closer to him.

Still, I held out a hand to shake his, the human way to seal a deal. “I’d like that. Given the present climate around here, we need all the friends we can get.” I glanced at my little sister who was practically dancing in her seat. “Shelby, what are you all giddy about?”

“I don’t have to lose you. I don’t have to say ‘goodbye’ to our pack.” Shelby stood and threw her arms around my neck. “I can’t stand the idea of losing anyone else,” she whispered in my ear. I could feel her tremble slightly. She’d always done this when she was nervous.

“I get it. I need you too.” I squeezed her harder. “After all, pretty soon, I’m going to be all alone.” As I looked over her shoulder, I saw Howl sitting on the floor in the doorway. His head drooped when he saw me looking at him. Then he moved further into the room and disappeared from my view.