I wasn't born into this pack, did you know? Jessica asks, her back to me.

My brows wrinkle as I realize I always imagined Jessica was a Golden Stone Packer. "I thought you lived here."

Jessica turns away from the oil painting and confronts me, smiling on her face. I wonder why she smiles.

"I lived inSouth velly with a tiny, struggling pack. David's father Feru visited my pack family when he was eighteen, nearly nineteen.

"I felt anxious and sensitive to everything. . My hopes and ambitions altered when Feru and his father crossed my border, Susan. We mated and stayed together until he had to go, and he...