At the shrill sound, Aiden went still next to me; his jaw clenched tight. The Alpha was not used to this, of course, since everyone in the Pack spoke to him with a soft fearful voice. My stepmother, however, appeared raging mad, coming to stand in front of me, her eyes digging into my skin.

Looking over her shoulder, I stared at my father, who emerged seconds later, his feet faltering as soon as he met my eyes. He cast his head down, his shoulders sagging with an audible sigh. Judging from the tension in the room, it was pretty clear that he might have told her about our talk....