Maya had never seen so many wolves in one place. They were all different—ranging in sizes, their fur various shades, from black, to white, to brown, to russet. One wolf in particular caught her attention. He—she assumed the wolf was a him from his size—was massive, with dark grey fur and the golden yellow eyes of his kind. But it was more his position in the group than his size or color that alerted her to who he was. He stood at the head of the pack, flanked by a smaller wolf with russet fur on one shoulder, and a tall, lean, lighter grey wolf at the other. Numerous other wolves lurked behind him, all of them watching her. Low growls issued from their barrel chests, their nostrils flaring as they scented her. She was struck by the sudden fear that they could smell sex on her. The thought made her embarrassed and vulnerable. Exposed.

There was no doubting that this was the alpha Chance had been talking about.

She stood, frozen, as the huge wolf trotted forward and sniffed her, his lips drawn back over his sharp teeth, his muzzle wrinkled. It made for a terrifying sight, and for a moment she thought he was going to lunge forward and attack. She wouldn’t stand a chance if he did—the powerful muscle bunched in the animal’s body, combined with teeth and claws, made for a lethal combination.

But instead of attacking her, the animal stepped back.

Just like when she’d watched Chance change in the forest, the fur on the beast’s body began to shimmer. His body realigned, bringing him back to two feet, and his muzzle retracted, leaving a human face beneath. It was like watching one of those 3-d cards where, when the angle is altered, the picture changed. One moment, she was looking at one thing, and the next he was something else altogether.

The man he became was almost as big as the wolf he’d been. He had long dark hair, his jaw shadowed with beard growth. His shoulders were bulked with muscle, just as they had been when he’d been wolf. She didn’t allow herself to look any farther down.

As though his shift had been a cue to the others, the wolves surrounding him also began to change back. The russet-furred wolf at his side morphed into a beautiful young woman with flame red hair, and the light-grey wolf became a handsome, blond man. The wolves behind them were a mix of men and women, and she felt all their eyes on her, assessing her. It was strange how she was the one who felt utterly exposed, when they were all naked and she was fully clothed.

“What’s the meaning of this, Chance?” the alpha growled, focusing on the man still trying to protect her with his body. “You know we don’t bring humans into the compound.”

Chance nodded. “I know, Holton, but something has happened and I didn’t know what else to do. I need your advice.”

The man, Holton, narrowed his eyes at her. “Continue.”

“I scented Maya in the forest. She was trapped in a snare, and I freed her. We mated shortly after.”

Holton frowned. “You mated?”

Maya felt heat rush to her face and she shrank inward. How mortifying, and yet somehow erotic, to be discussing that she’d had sex with someone she’d only just met, when she was surrounded by naked people.

“Yes, we mated,” Chance confirmed.

“That’s not possible. She’s clearly human.”

“I know. That’s where the problem arises. When I first scented her in the forest, I knew I’d scented my mate. I was as surprised as anyone when I found her and discovered she was human.”

“You should have waited. You should have had the conversation with me before you had sex.”

Chance hung his head. “I’m sorry.” He glanced back to her. “I couldn’t stop myself. It was like nothing I’ve ever experienced before—the pull of her. It was like I had to have her or I’d simply stop existing.”

His words made her blood sing. No one had ever spoken about her in such a way before.

The alpha nodded. “I believe you.”

Maya felt a tiny part of her loosen and relax.

Holton turned to the others. “Ruby, Joel, you stay. Everyone else may leave.”

There were mutterings as numerous naked bodies left the meeting house. When everyone, except those requested to stay, had left, the alpha Holton stepped closer. His nostrils flared, his eyes fixed on her, dark and intense.

“Do you know who your parents are?” he asked.

The question threw her. “Yes, of course. I still live with them now.”

“So which of them is the lone wolf?”

Maya blinked. “The what?”

“The lone wolf. One of them must be a shifter who has chosen to live outside of their pack.”

Her mouth dropped. “Neither of them!”

The idea of either of her sweet, mild-mannered parents being a wolf shifter was laughable.

A strange silence fell among them and she felt everyone’s eyes focused on her. What was it she saw in them? As she looked around, she realized the atmosphere had changed. Instead of them being wary of her, now they wouldn’t meet her eye, as though they knew something she didn’t. Did they think she was lying?

“What?” she cried. “They’re not shifters!” She turned to Chance and caught his arm. “There must be another explanation.”

He spoke tentatively, reaching down to take her hand. “Or else your parents aren’t who you think they are.”

His words were like an electric jolt through her body, freezing her heart. “No. No way.”

She yanked out of his grip, no longer wanting to be near the person who could cause her such pain. With her mind reeling, she glanced between all of the strangers’ faces, watching her now. Dizziness swept over her and she stumbled back, ignoring the pain shooting up through her leg. She only wanted to get away. These people—if she could call them people—were lying to her. She didn’t know why they’d do that, but they had to be. It was the only explanation.

Pain flitted across Chance’s face and he reached for her again, but she jerked away. “Leave me alone. I need to go home.”

“I’ll take you,” he said.

“No. Please. I need time to think.”

The alpha turned to the red-haired woman beside him. “Ruby, go and find Florence. She can drive Chance’s friend home.”

“Maya,” she found herself mumbling. “My name’s Maya.”

No one acknowledged her.

“I can drive her,” said Ruby, but Holton shook his head.

“No, I need you here.”

Ruby nodded, and turned and left.

Chance turned to Maya. “Please, let me take you home, Maya. I can’t stand the thought of leaving you like this. I know this news must be distressing…”

“It’s not news,” she spat, hating the connotation of the word—as though it was fact and not just speculation. “You’re all wrong.”

Ruby reappeared with a pretty blonde girl by her side. The girl smiled at Maya and jangled a set of car keys in her hand. “Ready?”

Feeling numb inside, Maya nodded.

The pretty blonde jerked her head toward the front of the meeting house, a small, sympathetic smile on her lips. The young woman—who was about her age—seemed nice, and so Maya left Chance’s side to follow her.

“Maya, please…”

She ignored Chance’s plea as best as she could, though his tone made her heart ache. Her head told her to keep walking, while her body hummed with the desire to turn right back around and throw herself into his arms. But she needed to process all of this and she couldn’t do it with Chance around. His presence stopped her brain from working, and she was acting out of character. She was the sensible one, the responsible one. She wasn’t the one who ran off with scarred, shifter men in the middle of the night.

She stepped out of the wooden meeting house and into the cool forest air, following the girl’s —Florence’s—back. Others stood around, watching, as she walked across the clearing to where a couple of vehicles were parked.

“You live far?” asked Florence, as she opened the door to the truck. Maya noted the doors weren’t locked.

She shook her head. “Just on the outskirts of town.”

“No problem.”

“Thanks for driving me back, Florence.”

“Most people call me Flo. And it’s fine, I promise.” She lowered her voice, conspiratorial. “Good to get out of the compound sometimes.”

Maya angled her body toward the door as Flo drove from the compound and onto the road leading toward town. She deliberately didn’t look in the direction of the meeting house, not wanting to see Chance if he came running after her.

“I’m sorry about your folks,” said Flo.

Maya frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Ruby filled me in about one of your parents not being who they said they are. That’s got to be a tough thing to hear.”

“It’s not true,” she snapped, her initial warming toward the other girl instantly growing frigid. “They’re just speculating.”

“There’s no other explanation, though, is there?” she continued. “I mean, if you and Chance are truly mated.”

Maya had nothing to say to that. Hadn’t she always felt a draw of the forest during a full moon, a fascination with the wolves at Dark Ridge? She’d assumed it was normal curiosity, but could it have meant something more?

“You’re lucky, you know,” Flo said, breaking her from her thoughts. “I’ve still not found my mate. I’ll be twenty-one soon, and still not a hint.”

Relieved to have the subject turned from her own problems, Maya offered the other woman a sympathetic smile. “You’re still young. Plenty of time yet. Plus, you’re crazily pretty. Any guy would be mad not to want you as a mate.”

“Ah, but it doesn’t work like that. It’s all about hormones and the way our bodies talk to each other. A guy might think I’m cute and want to mess around, but unless those hormones click, messing around is all it will ever be.”

They fell into a companionable silence. As they approached the outskirts of town, Maya told her to pull the truck over.

“Are you sure? What about your leg?”

“It’s only around the corner, and my leg is feeling better already. I don’t want my parents to wake at the sound of the truck stopping. If I can sneak in, things will be easier.”

“For the moment, anyway,” said Flo. “You’re still going to have to have a talk with them.”

“Thanks for the ride,” Maya said, avoiding either confirming or denying Flo’s suggestion.

“Welcome.”

She slammed the truck’s door shut and waited until Flo had done a U-turn and was driving back. It was starting to get light, but she still had a couple of hours before needing to open the diner. She would grab some sleep, if she could. She was going to need it to make it through the day.

Maya turned and moved slowly down the road, and rounded the corner.

She stopped short, her heart lurching into her throat.

Sitting outside the front of the diner was an ambulance.